Riley and Mary
by freakishlyobsessedwithmovies
Summary: An AU of National Treasure. Ben has a younger sister, Mary. Riley and her hate each other, but the search for the Templar Treasure brings the two together. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Mary. sigh that's all I own…

**Note: This is a revised version of Riley and Mary, I just hope that this version is an improvement of the last one. I'm sorry to all those who did like the last one, but I think you guys will like this one too! At least, I hope so, haha. We'll see.**

And, remember to R and R!

Reviews are like cherry-flavored popsicles to me…I have one, and I just want more.

Yes, I suffer from Review greed.

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It was July 4, 1984, and it may have been about eight in the evening. Patrick Gates was driving both his six-year old daughter, Mary, and his twelve-year old son, Benjamin, on one of their scarce visits to their grandfather. And scarce is the key word in that sentence, considering July 4th was one of the only visits made yearly.

But, unbeknownst to Patrick Gates, his two children found something on their last visit; a book in the attic. It looked very old…and, of course, that made them want to investigate its contents. But, Ben and Mary never got the chance to open it because their father walked in on them. Luckily, he never saw their little discovery, but he forbade them to go up to the attic this time.

"It has some private stuff of your grandfather's," he explained to them while driving to the house, "and I'm sure he doesn't want the two of you up there looking through all of it."

The two youths looked at each other, both wondering if it was worth it to break the rules.

They parked in front of the old, two-story house, and the kids scurried out of the car to go see their grandfather, forgetting all about their father's warning.

"Grandpa!" they both yelled running up to him. He laughed as they toppled him over in a bear hug.

"Now there are a couple of faces I haven't seen in a while," he said brightly as he got up. The brightness of his voice dimmed a little, however, when he saw his son.

"Hello Patrick." He extended out his hand. The younger man took it stiffly.

"Hello Dad."

Ben and Mary looked at each other, worried. They knew that their dad and grandpa never got along, but they never knew why. Mary says "It's because Grandpa doesn't make cookies anymore!" but Ben knew that wasn't the reason. However, he was just as clueless as his six-year old sister. But, there was no time to think about that now. They had to figure out how to get up to the attic. After that thought, their father turned to them.

"Your grandfather and I need to talk alone for a little bit," he began with a stern look in his eyes. "Why don't you kids go and play upstairs for the time being."

They couldn't believe he just said that. Now they could get to the attic without them knowing!

Ben and Mary didn't need to be told twice, so they ran upstairs with manic smiles on their faces.

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Lightning lit up the dark attic as the two kids searched for the book. It seemed that the messy room was even messier than the last time they were up there. Actually, Ben kind of felt like he was looking for his watch in his room…which can be compared to a disaster area at times…

The young boy caught sight of a familiar shelf, and scampered over to the old wooden structure. He frowned, though, when papers and small boxes were covering the entire thing.

"Have you found it yet," Mary whined, getting impatient.

"Hold on," the pre-teen said, agitated. He loved his sister, he really did, but she could just be so darn impatient at times!

He coughed a little when all of the dust flew off of the papers, but held his breath when the familiar, leather-bound cover stared back at him.

"Nooow have you found it?"

"Yes!" Ben picked up the old book from the box. He started down the chair quickly, where Mary was bouncing off the balls of her feet.

They both looked at it with awe. They would actually get to open it this time! They turned around to find a clean place to sit, but there was a tall figure blocking their way.

"Grandpa!" They both yelled at the same time, startled.

The elderly man looked down and saw the item in their arms, and looked back up with a strange look in his eyes.

"You're not supposed to be up here, looking at that."

_That's it_, Ben thought. _We're done for_. He and Mary just wanted to know about it, that's all.

"We just wanted to know," Ben said, fearing what their dad would do when he specifically said _do not_ go into the attic.

Mary didn't know if she could take the silence. She'd rather have her grandfather yell at her and Ben than stand there without saying anything.

The young girl decided she couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Can't we know? Please Grandpa!"

That was when their grandfather finally answered them with an unexpected attitude.

He sat down, and looked at them with a mischievous smile. "Oh…well, both of you are old enough, I suppose." Ben and Mary looked at each other with unbelieving looks on their faces. Their grandfather made a motion for them to sit down, and they quickly changed their disbelieving looks into excitement. They plopped down to floor waiting for what would be the story that would change their lives, forever.

"You should know the story," he began. "It was 1832, on a night much like this…"

He went into a story of an unimaginable treasure -too great for even a king to have- the Knight's Templar, Free Masons, and the Founding Fathers. This part was a little confusing for the youngest Gates, but the eldest was happy to explain.

The legend was almost too much for the kids to handle, but by the end, they knew that this story would become central to their lives from now on; especially with their grandfather's ending to the tale, and their only clue.

"The secret lies with Charlotte," their grandfather said with finality, taking a proud breath.

The two youngsters just sat there with their mouths open.

_Wow_, they both thought at the same time. And the sound of the rain and thunder was the only disturbance heard throughout the old house for a few moments, until Ben broke it.

"What's Charlotte?" Ben asked with awe still laced in his words.

"Is it a lady?" the young girl asked with Ben's same tone.

"Of course it's not a lady," Ben interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"You don't know that!"

The man chuckled at the two bickering children, and then answered their questions. "It might be a person Mary, but…not even Mr. Carroll knew what Charlotte meant."

The young girl definitely felt like she was the smartest person in the universe at that moment.

"Now look here," the eldest Gates continued while reaching into his wallet, and pulling out a dollar. "The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers left us clues. Like these."

He brought the dollar bill before their wide eyes. "The unfinished pyramid. The all-seeing eye," he explained as he pointed to every object mentioned on the back. "Symbols of the Knights Templar, guardians of the treasure. They're speaking to us through these."

"You mean laughing at us," someone spoke up from the attic door. The children quickly turned around and saw their father, who looked like he had been in better moods.

_Uh oh…we're in trouble_, Mary thought with wide eyes.

He then motioned towards the dollar that his father was holding with disdain. "You know what that dollar represents? The entire Gates' family fortune. Six generations of fools…chasing after fools gold."

Ben could feel his hopes crashing down the minute his dad said those words.

_It has to be real_, he thought. He looked towards his sister and she looked like she was thinking the same thing. She then looked at him with determination in her eyes.

"It's real," she whispered. "And we'll find it."

And, for one of the first times ever, Ben agreed with his little sister.

"Come on Ben, Mary." Patrick Gates needed to get away from his father, before he said something he would regret. "Time to go. You two can…say your goodbyes." He went back downstairs to gather up everyone's things without even looking back.

The sad elder was about to leave as well, but Ben stopped him. "Grandpa?"

He stopped and turned around toward his two grandchildren whom he would probably see even less than he did now since he told them about the treasure. "Hm?"

The boy couldn't help himself, so he asked quickly, "Are we knights?"

"Of the treasure?" Mary added. She couldn't really help herself either.

The elderly man chuckled at their interest and excitement. So, disregarding his son's defiance, he said with that old spark in his eye, "Do you want to be?"

Both of them nodded enthusiastically.

"All right. Um…kneel." He then searched around for a cloak or something to wrap around them. He found an old pea coat on a chair. "It should be big enough for both of you," he muttered while placing it around their shoulders.

_I'm gonna be knight_! Mary thought with excitement. _The only girl ever to be knighted, I bet!_

Their grandfather cleared his throat, and they both looked up at him with determination in their eyes.

"Benjamin Franklin Gates, and Mary Washington Gates," he began, smiling at his grandchildren, "both of you take upon yourselves the duty of the Templar, the Freemasons, and the family Gates. Do you both so swear?"

"I so swear," they both stated loud and clear.

_The treasure is real_, Ben thought, forgetting everything their dad had said earlier. He then looked at his little sister. _Yes, we will find it._

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I hope you guys liked it!

R & R


	2. Memories of moments

**20 Years Later…**

"I was thinking about Henson and Peary, crossing this kind of terrain with nothing more than dog sleds and on foot," Mary heard her brother say to Ian Howe. Both men were sitting in the front seats of the large, tank-like vehicle that was taking them across the Artic terrain. "Can you imagine?"

The twenty-six year old smiled at Ben. _He is such a nerd sometimes._ He was a nerd, however, that she has been stuck with for twenty years. She basically followed him everywhere; she went to his college, she took the same majors, and then when she graduated, they took off to Washington, D.C. together. Ever since then, they had been working hard to find out what, or who, the Charlotte was. Their father was against it, of course, but sometimes one has to follow their dreams in order to live their life to the fullest. At least, that was what Mary told her father when she walked out the door of the home she grew up in.

So, after Mary left Pennsylvania, the siblings had basically always been together…and had always been biting each other's heads off. Then, after an instance of Mary clocking Ben in the eye, the older brother decided enough was enough and started looking for a third roommate, and this was just five months ago. Even at 26 and 32, the adults still got into sibling fights. So, that's when a certain Riley Poole came into the picture. The two definitely needed an icebreaker in the apartment

The brunette glanced over at the 27-year old messing with his laptop. She remembered when the geek walked into their apartment for the first time. Well, she mostly remembered how he tripped on his shoelace as he fell through the door, falling on top of her.

Flashback:

_Mary heard the doorbell ring while she was reading Mika Waltari's __The Egyptian__. She figured it was Ben, with his hands too full with library books to open the door._

_She sprinted to the door thinking that her guess was correct, and opened it only to see someone who definitely wasn't her brother._

_It was some random guy holding a bunch of computer parts._

"_Uh…I think you have the wrong house, sir," she said, totally wanting to laugh at the guy. It wasn't everyday that a random guy showed up at her door step holding so much stuff that it blocked his face._

"_Isn't this 217?" a muffled voice came from behind the computer gadgets._

"_Yeah, but-Oh!!" Mary suddenly remembered that their new roommate was supposed to show up that very day._

"_My goodness," she said, laughing at her own expense, "I'm sorry Mr. Poole!"_

_Riley Poole couldn't really laugh at the moment, considering if he did, all of his computer parts would fall on the girl standing before him._

"_Its fine," Riley said, strained from the weight in his arms. "But, uh…think I can come in now?"_

"_Yes," she said, forgetting that he was still standing outside the apartment. "Come in. Do you need help with that?"_

_The young man smirked, even though the young woman couldn't see it. "If you don't mind."_

_He didn't think, however, she would try taking all of it._

"_Wait!" he exclaimed, more worried about his computer than the actual person carrying it then, "I didn't mean-"_

_He stepped through the door frame, but one of his shoes must have come untied, and he lost his balance because of the unexpected resistance._

_Mary was almost to the counter when she was unexpectedly pushed from behind, and fell forward, losing hold of everything in her arms. She only had time to squeak when she hit the floor full on._

"_My laptop," Riley moaned, seeing the mess before him._

"_My ribs," a voice muttered, annoyed, beneath him._

_The computer nerd realized that he was squishing the woman under him, and quickly got up, apologizing the whole time as he was helping her up._

End Flashback:

The random memory made her snort loudly, catching the attention of everyone in the vehicle.

_This is uncomfortable_, she thought, feeling like everyone was going to laugh at her at any second.

Luckily, no one did and Ian went back to respond to Ben's question from earlier.

"It's extraordinary," Ian said looking out at the vast, snowy terrain.

Mary glanced over at Riley yet again. _He's an interesting individual_. She really didn't know him that well, except that Ben and he became buddy-buddy the moment they met. Plus, he was very handy with technology and could actually get them into some restricted sites on the internet, leading them to discover more about the Charlotte. But, for some reason, he never quite warmed up to her…

Of course, that could be due to the fact that she made fun of him _all_ the time.

_He never grabbed the concept that it's just for fun, though…oh well; it's still hilarious all the same!_

But, speaking of the Charlotte, Ben was so proud of himself when he was right about the Charlotte being a "what" instead of her own guess of it being a "who."

_Stupid men. _She was so determined to prove that it was a person, but, oh well. At least they found it.

Ian was a different story, however. Mary still didn't like him, even though he had been nothing but polite to her since they met. It's the fact that he didn't seem like the type of man to just_ love _history. She thinks that he's only in it for the treasure. The brunette never did like people she considered greedy.

She took another look at her brother –laughing with Ian, who was also in a jovial mood- she then leaned back into her seat, sighing. _Ben trusts him, too, though. _If she was forced to trust either Riley or Ian, though…she would definitely stick with the roommate.

Mary was about to close her eyes for a bit when she was tired of all the thoughts jumbled in her brain, but she heard Riley's computer make a beeping sound. She sat up again and looked outside. "We getting closer?" She strained her eyes to look for anything that would give her a hint of a ship, but, there was still nothing but white in every direction.

Riley turned his attention towards Mary and explained, "Assuming Ben's theory's correct and my tracking model's accurate, we should be getting _very_ close. But don't go by me…I broke a shoelace this morning."

Everybody in the vehicle turned and looked at the young man with a questioning look in their eyes. It took him a couple of seconds to notice, but finally he did with a "What?" look on his face.

"It's…it's a bad omen," he explained, becoming uncomfortable with the stares he was receiving.

Ian smiled in his cocky way, and asked Ben sarcastically, "Shall we turn around and go home?"

Ben pretended to consider it. "Or we could pull over and just throw him out here."

His sister decided to play along just for the fun of it. Plus, she loved making Riley angry. _Just because it's so easy._

"D'you want me to open the door for you?" She started reaching for the door handle. The two men in the front started laughing; Riley however, wasn't as appreciative of Mary's little addition. He started to laugh sarcastically.

"Hahaha…OK." His expression turned sour again, and he went back to messing with his laptop.

The brunette turned towards him, still laughing. "Come on Riley, I'm just messing with you." He turned his head towards her and peered over his glasses, giving her a disbelieving look. Nevertheless, she thought it was hilarious She just grinned at his look, and started to remember all of the moments where she made him lose his temper.

Mini-flashback of making Riley mad for fun:

"_Ben," Riley spoke up from the couch in the living room. "I don't think I'll be able to get in this one."_

_Mary leaned over the kitchen counter that basically was in the same space as the living room, and realized what he was talking about. Another blocked website._

_Ben peered up over a book he had been reading for the past five hours. "Don't give up that easily, keep trying."_

_Riley scoffed. "You mean the hundred times of trying wasn't enough?"_

"_You're doing good," Ben muttered, obviously paying more attention to the book that the computer nerd._

_Seeing Riley sigh in defeat, she got an evil idea. _

"_Hey Riley," the said person looked up to the speaker. "I have a password you can try."_

_The bespectacled man looked back to his laptop saying, "I'll try anything at this point."_

'_Excellent,' she thought, trying to sound like a villain in her head._

"_Okay, type these letters."_

"_Right."_

"_I…"_

_Riley typed what he was told._

"_A…"_

_More typing._

"_M"_

_More typing._

"_A"_

"_I, A, M, A…," Riley muttered to himself while Mary was trying to keep a straight face._

"_N"_

"_I..."_

"_D…"_

"_I…"_

"_O…"_

"_T," the brunette finished, walking away from the counter, not being able to stand up straight by holding in fits of laughter. _

"_I think this one might work." After that was said she quickly sprinted to her room and locked the door._

_Riley pressed Enter to see if it would work, and the same pop-up showed on the screen. He sighed and repeated the letters to himself._

"_Okay…I, A, M, A, N, I, D, I, O, T…what is that? A name? Iam Anidiot…Anidiot? I am an…" The young man stopped and felt himself burn up. He fixed an evil eye on a certain person's door before yelling at the top of his lungs._

"_VERY FUNNY!!!"_

End of mini flashback:

Mary snorted again, unable to stop herself. And…everyone looked at her strangely…again.

"What is so funny," the young man sitting by her said annoyed at the fact she kept snorting.

_I guess he's good to have around, _she admitted to herself. She reached up towards Riley's head and knocked his hat off.

"You," she said, grinning.

He was obviously upset that he lost his hat. He bent down towards the floor and retrieved it, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe we should throw _you_ out," he muttered.

Mary laughed lightly, loving their many "moments."

Ben spoke up from the front. "Hey Riley, you're not missing that little windowless cubicle I found you in, are you?"

"No, no. Absolutely not!" Riley said, forgetting about throwing Mary out a moving vehicle, and was now laughing heartily with Ben. Then, his laptop started to beep loud and continuously. The snow vehicle stopped and they all leaned out the door, along with Ian's cronies in a twin vehicle next to them. One of them, known as Shaw, spoke up.

"Why are we stopping? I thought we were looking for a ship?"

"I don't see any ship," another person known as Shippen said.

Ben, who was still looking ahead, said with certainty, "She's out there."

His sister felt her heart skip a beat. They weren't in a room studying endless amounts of books anymore; they were actually out in the field, looking for a reality.

_Finally, _Mary thought, looking out at the massive terrain before her. "_The secret lies with Charlotte."_

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They all got out metal detectors and spread out around the area. Of course, Mary didn't want to be anywhere near Ian's men, or Ian himself, so she just decided to stick close to Riley which wasn't her first choice either since he also had a tendency to complain.

_Oh well. _

She walked up to the young man, who was currently trying to de-fog his glasses.

"Mind if I stand with you?" she asked, amused with him de-fogging his glasses.

He looked at her, skeptical.

"I don't think so," he laughed at the fact she even asked. _I think I've been tortured enough already._

"Oh come on," she punched him lightly on the arm. "I won't say anything."

He picked up his metal detector, still amused by the girl standing by him, but not about to let her have the chance to insult him.

"Go bug that guy coming towards you."

Mary furrowed her brow and looked behind her to see one of Ian's men coming towards them with an irritated look etched on his face.

"Oh great," she muttered keeping her eyes to the ground pretending that she was too involved with her search to talk to Shippen. Riley heard her little comment, and laughed softly. _This could be interesting._

The man obviously looked displeased since he had a scowl plastered on his face. He reached the point where they both would hear him and said, "Look…this is a waste of time. How could a ship wind up way out here?"

"That is good question," the brunette said with mock-politeness, and then actually put on a real smile when she thought of something else to say. "And, I think Mr. Poole here would definitely know the answer."

The said person just smirked at her, disliking her more every moment her smile grew bigger. _Thanks a lot, Mary. _But, he then looked at Shippen who looked like he would tie him on the treads of their vehicles if he didn't answer.

Riley stood there for a moment, thinking of something to say that would answer his question and get the guy out of his presence at the same time.

_Hmm…what to say to an idiot…_Then, it hit him.

The young man cleared his throat, and said, "Well, I'm no expert, but… it could be that the hypothermic properties of this region produce hurricane-force ice storms that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze, resulting in a semisolid land mass that would land a ship right around here."

Riley stood there a moment and then walked ahead, but Mary looked at him in shock from behind. She then saw his shoulders starting to quiver, which could mean he's very cold, or he's laughing his butt off. _He's most likely doing the latter. _She then looked at the Scottish man, and he looked like he was still trying to figure out what the computer nerd just said.

_Well done, nerd_.

"A little confusing, yeah?" She tried to look sympathetic, but she was biting her lip to keep from laughing in his face. "Excuse me." She turned and walked in her friend's direction with her shoulders shaking the same way as his were earlier, keeping her guffawing as quiet as possible. After a minute of calming herself down she got in his hearing range.

"I think you lost the guy at "hypothermic"," Mary said, still very amused. She took another glance at Shippen, who was currently stomping his way back to Ian.

Riley put on a fake smile when he said, "Thank you for putting me in that situation, by the way."

She took her sunglasses off, chuckling. "You're welcome! Where did you learn that, anyways?"

"The Discovery Channel," he said proudly, obviously taking in the moment.

"Thought as much," Mary said nonchalantly. She then looked up-_Stupid taller-than-me guy-_ and saw him giving her an evil look. She put her hands up laughing, "I'm just kidding!"

"Sure," he said, flatly. _I swear I don't know if she hates me, or just loves to make me want to strangle her, _the young man thought while looking at the smiling brunette walking beside him.

His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard someone shout out.

"I found something!"

Mary quickly looked behind Riley, and noticed Ben was hacking away at a mound of snow.

Riley noticed that her attention was directed elsewhere, and looked behind him, as well.

"Come on," the youngest Gates said.

They walked toward Ben's direction, and they got close enough just to hear him say, "Hello beautiful."

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It took a while for the snow to be plowed away from the founding sight, and since Mary knew absolutely nothing about snow-plowing, she was left beside herself. So, she wasted most of her free-time making miniature snowmen. She had already made her twelfth snowman when the snow was half-way gone from the sight. She sighed, wishing that time would go by faster, but when she realized she was not going to get her wish, she started making her thirteenth creation. She was just about to start on its head when Riley came over and decided to bug her.

He looked down at all of her little creations and then looked back up at her with a raised eyebrow. "I see what you like to do with your spare time."

She scoffed at his skepticism. "You only wish you were just as talented as me."

He stood there for a moment, thinking about her comment, and then just shook his head while crouching down beside her in the snow. Mary put the little snowman down and decided that small talk with a real person was much healthier.

"So," she began, watching the rest of snow being plowed away, "why aren't you helping the big, strong men with their snow plowing."

"It turns out that I'm not _good_ with that sort of vehicle," he said, giving Ian a glare. He told her how he almost ran Ian over with the plow…by accident, of course, and then Ben and the almost-deceased sent him away.

She stared at the guy for a couple of moments, and then she realized he was telling the truth. She fell back on the snow and just started laughing. Riley, of course, didn't feel like being laughed for his idiocy for the second time that day so he didn't join in with the brunette. _It's always her that laughs at me_. "Alright, head-case, feel free to stop at anytime!"

Mary got it immediately, and opened her mouth to retort, but Riley beat her to it. "Oh look, the snow's gone!" After that he just walked right past her, singing this made up song that had the words "nut-case" in it. Now Mary was the one stuck with a scowl on her face.

_I'm supposed to be the insulter, not the insulted._

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Mary walked up beside her brother, and just stared in awe at the uncovered ship: The Charlotte.

"Do you think the treasure will be on it?" she asked him, starting to sound like her six-year old self.

"It could be," he said with a bit of hope in his voice.

They stood there in silence a bit more while Ian was talking to his group. Mary thought this would be the best time to say what she was thinking, so she did. "Dad would be proud of us…I'm sure of it."

That definitely brought Ben out of his daze. He looked down for a minute or two, and then took a breath and looked back up.

"You really think so?"

"Yes," Mary stated with determination. _He has to be…_

Their relationship with their dad started falling apart after that night in the attic. They would always talk of the treasure, and he would always tell them to stop, saying something along the lines of: "the treasure is a myth." Then, Ben went off to college, but even if he did visit, he would always spend time with Mary, trying to figure out the mystery of The Charlotte, knowing that their father wouldn't help in the least. But she knew that Ben was doing all of this to prove himself, but in a good way. After Mary graduated last year she caught up with Ben, and they haven't seen their father since. So, it wasn't wise to bring up the father subject often.

Ian left his group with Shaw and yelled out, all hyped up, "Let's go find some treasure!"

Shippen, whom Riley was still celebrating over, added, "Yeah, bring us back something!"

_It's decided,_ Mary thought bitterly, _I will never like any of them. It's not just about the treasure people!_

They all went down into the ship with Ben, Ian, and Shaw in the lead and Riley and Mary bringing up the rear.

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W00t! Another revised chapter! I hope you all liked it.

R&R


	3. Betrayal

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The group entered the frozen bunker. Mary swore her heart would give up on her if it didn't stop beating so fast. She looked at the dark ship all around her, and couldn't believe she was actually inside the Charlotte. She looked over at her brother, and knew he must have felt the same way.

Ben stalled for a moment, looking around the bunker.

Riley, letting his curiosity overtake him, decided to look at the hammocks. _It's not like I'll be in an 18__th__ century boat in the near future_.

Mary started to walk towards Ben's position, but stopped when she heard frightened gasps coming from behind her. Riley was on the floor crawling away from a hammock yelling, "Oh, God!"

Ben walked to the hammock and told Riley with some dry humor. "You handled that well."

"What'd he see?" Mary asked. She looked into the hammock and saw a frozen skeleton of one of the crew members.

"Oh…" _Disgusting…_ She saw that Riley was still on the ground panting, so she offered him a hand up. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her while she was helping him up, and a coy smile reached her face. Riley saw it and became wary of what she would say next. She put her hands behind her back and started rocking on her feet.

"I guess the good ol' Lord didn't like it when you called me "head-case," huh." _Triumph._

Riley was about to say something in his defense, but Ben cut him off.

"This is it," he stood in front of a frozen door. He looked back at everyone. "It's the cargo hold."

Mary's and along with everyone else's heart jumped at those words. _This really could be it…_The door opened with an icy crunch, and the whole group walked inside. Everyone's heart sank, however, when they just saw more ice and barrels.

"Do you think it's in the barrels?" Riley asked hopefully.

All of them started looking through the barrels, only to find gunpowder in each one. Riley started to open his first one, but Mary saw what he was about to do and thought it would be best warn him to prevent any further embarrassment on his part.

"No, Riley," she started when he started pulling the cork out. "Not that w-"

The cork popped out and all of the gunpowder came out all over him.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ok…"

The short brunette walked over to his barrel and looked through it the _correct_ way. It had nothing in it.

"Nothing in this one," she called out and stepped over the fallen computer nerd.

"Why do you _always_ have to be around when I mess up," he asked, annoyed at her presence. He brushed the gunpowder off of his pants and followed her to the next barrel, glaring at her.

She grinned while looking through the next one. "I guess it's just fate." Her hand could feel nothing through the barrel. She sighed. _On to the next one…why is Riley still following me?_ She was about to ask the young man why he was still following her, but Ben had to go and interrupt people's conversations again.

"I found something!" Ben exclaimed.

Riley stopped following Mary and turned around to find Ben. He found him holding a small, rectangular satchel.

_That can't be the treasure._ "What is it?" he asked.

Ben waited for everyone else to gather around so they could see what it was. He opened the package slowly and revealed a pipe. Mary could tell that Ben was getting very excited, and that, in turn, made her excited.

_But…what is it?_

"Do you guys know what this is?" He said with his eyes fixed on the object.

Everyone, save for Ian, shook their head, but Riley decided to take a wild guess.

"Is it a billion-dollar pipe?"

No one found it amusing.

"I doubt that," Mary stated, still staring questioningly at the pipe.

"A remark coming from a person who doesn't know what it is either," Riley mumbled back.

"Quiet," Ian told them. "It's a meerschaum pipe."

_Jerk,_ Mary and Riley thought at the same time, shooting glares in Ian's direction.

Ian handed the pipe back to Ben, who took a closer look at it. He then pointed out to the stem, and showed Ian.

"Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork on the stem," he said. Mary took a step closer to her brother, looking at where he was pointing. There was definitely something about that pipe.

Ben then did something totally unexpected. He took the pipe apart.

Mary's eyes bugged out and Riley yelled, "Don't break it!"

"Calm down, it's another clue," he said to both of the people behind him. He then spoke to everyone else.

"We are one step closer to the treasure, gentlemen."

Ian stepped up with an unhappy look. Riley noticed this, and looked at the upset man with a confused look. The whole trip up here, the man acted like he was addicted to ecstasy.

"Ben, I thought you said that the treasure would be on The Charlotte," the Englishman said, not caring if he looked displeased.

Ben looked up, puzzled like Riley.

"No, 'The secret lies with Charlotte.' I said it could be here." He looked back down at the stem, and got his pocket knife out.

Riley and Mary got disgusted looks on their faces when he pricked his own thumb to use his blood to reveal the writing on the scroll in his notebook. As he rolled it down the page, he noticed certain symbols included with the writing.

"Its Templar symbols," he said out loud. That caught Mary's attention, and she went over to Ben's left side. She looked down at what the scroll provided for them while Ben read it to the rest of the group.

"The legend writ. The stain affected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen. Mr. Matlack can't offend."

Everyone just stood there with blank looks upon their faces. "It's a riddle," Ben explained. Riley nodded very slowly, but after that was done, he just went back to the blank look. Mary knitted her eyebrows together, trying to at least figure one little thing out. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

_Mr. Matlack…he sounds familiar…_Mary was not as diligent in her studies as her brother was. She was known to forget historical figures sometimes.

Ben broke the silence. "I need to think." He then started walking around the whole cargo hold. Mary tried to listen to what he was thinking aloud, but Riley seemed to have ruined that for her. The young man walked up behind her.

"I think it would be a better idea to stand over there," the guy said in a low voice. Riley then pointed to the hammocks on the far left side.

After starting her heart up again from being scared by Riley's unknown presence, she whispered testily, "What are you talking about?"

His random suggestion made no sense to Mary. The bespectacled man made an aggravated sigh when he saw that, and then pointed to Shaw on her near right, and Ian on her near left.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, those are people."

Riley gave an annoyed sigh, and hissed, "Fine. _Stay_ there."

She watched him walk away in a huff and stand as far away as Ian and Shaw as possible.

_What in the world?!_ The brunette thought, wondering if her brother's friend had gone insane because of the weather. And, as much as she wanted to help Ben figure out the riddle, she figured she'd just muck it up even more. So, she walked over to where the scowling man was with a confused look etched on her face.

"What is your problem?" she whispered, grabbing his arm, causing him to wince.

"Besides you cutting off the circulation in my arm, _them_," he said, nodding towards Ian and Shaw. Moreover, he was irritated at her strong grip.

She looked at the people he was pointing at, but was still confused.

"No one likes them," she said bluntly. "It's a fact of life." _This is what I came over here for? Gossip?_

Mary decided that she was wasting her time talking to Riley and started to go over and help Ben, even if she was terrible at riddles. The person behind her, however, grabbed her arm this time.

Now, she was getting annoyed at his antics and gave him a fiery glare.

The computer nerd matched the look though, and said something that he knew she would understand.

"I think they're packing…both of them," he stated, and then let her go.

Mary lost the glare, and looked at him blankly, wondering if she heard him right.

"Excuse me?"

Riley sighed and clapped a hand to his forehead. _Holy Lord! Do I have to write it out?!_

He nodded towards Ian and Shaw, and whispered as slow as he could.

"I. Think. _They_. Have. _Weapons_."

"Okay, Riley," she said, and matched his speed. "This. Is. Not. _Indiana Jones_."

_Though…I do love Indiana Jones…_

She slipped out of his grasp, shaking her head out of exasperation. Ian and Shaw might not be the best people in the world, but Ben trusted them, and that's all there was to it. She walked over to where Ben was and sat by him.

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"It's a map," Ben said, his tone becoming lighter. _Now we're getting somewhere._ "An invisible map. So now…"

"Wait a minute," Ian interrupted. "What do you mean "invisible"- "an invisible map"?"

"'The stain effected' could refer to a dye or reagent used to bring about a certain result. Combined with "The key in Silence," the implication is that the effect is to make what was undetectable detectable." He paused for a moment. "Unless…"The key in Silence" could be…"

"Prison," Shaw interrupted. Everybody looked at him. Ben didn't look very happy being interrupted, but he wanted to hear Shaw's explanation of his answer anyway.

"Albuquerque," Riley said instantly. He looked towards Shaw. "See, I can do it too. Snorkel."

_One of these days he's going to get shot_, Mary thought, but then thought back to what the young man told her earlier. And, quite frankly, it actually disturbed her. She shook her head out of her reverie and looked at Shaw.

Shaw looked a little peeved at Riley for a second, but saw that everyone else was still waiting for an answer. He continued.

"That's where the map is. Like he said, "Fifty-five in iron pen." Iron Pen is a prison."

Ben, Riley, and Mary all had the same look on their faces. The "How-would-you-know-about-that" look. Then, Ben decided to disregard Shaw's suggestion, and continued on with his.

"Or, it could be, since the primary writing medium of the time was iron gall ink, the "pen" is just a pen."

"But then why not say a pen," Mary asked, confused. "Why say "iron pen"?"

"Because it's a prison," Shaw muttered. Again, no one cared.

There was another pause, and Mary racked her brain to find an answer.

_Maybe they don't mean iron literally…or maybe it's a code name, no, no, no, I don't remember reading anything about that at school. _

But, Ben interrupted her thoughts.

"Wait a minute. "Iron pen"- the "iron" does not describe the ink in the pen, it describes _what _was penned. It was "iron"- it was firm, it was mineral…no, no, no, that's stupid. It was…it was firm, it was adamant, it was resolved…It was resolved."

_How could I be so stupid, _Ben thought finally figuring the riddle out. _Mr. Matlack and fifty-five in iron pen just…gave it away._

After that little pause, he continued on, this time with excitement embedded with every word. "Mr. Matlack can't offend. Timothy Matlack was the official scribe of the Continental Congress. Calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure he could not offend the map, it was put on the back of a _resolution_ that he transcribed; a _resolution_ that fifty-five men signed…" He paused and looked at Mary.

"The Declaration of Independence."

Complete silence followed.

"Oh…," Ian said softly in awe.

Mary just stared at her brother, shocked at his discovery, but proud at the same time. That was _her_ brother that just figured out that riddle.

Riley scoffed, ruining the moment.

"Come on, there's no invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence."

"That's clever really," Ian said with a grin on his face. He seemed to always disregard anything Riley said. "A document of that importance would ensure the map's survival…and you said there were several Masons who signed it, yeah?"

"Yeah. Nine, for sure." But, Ben started to let his smile fade…there was a _huge _problem with the map being back on the Declaration of Independence.

Ian nodded, and then cleared his throat. "We'll have to arrange a way to examine it."

Now it was Mary's turn to scoff, though she was starting to see why Ben was losing his enthusiasm.

"Not to be rude Ian, but this is one of the most important documents in history." Something flashed in Ian's eyes when he heard her say that. She immediately regretted saying it, then.

"Yeah," Ben agreed, even though he started to frown a little. "They aren't about to let us _waltz_ in there and run chemical tests on it."

"Then what do you propose we do?" the Englishman asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't know!" Uncomfortable silence followed Ben's outburst.

Personally, his sister had never seen him so angry about this, but she was too angry herself to see it.

_How are we supposed to do this if we can't even get to it! _

"We could borrow it," Ian suggested slowly. The three friends looked over at him like he was mental.

_Does he mean "steal"?_ The girl thought, fearing what Ian was going to say next.

"Steal it," Ben repeated the statement incredulously, and then waited to make sure he actually heard what his "benefactor" said. No, he was being serious.

"I don't think so," Ben said, still hoping that he heard his friend wrong.

"Ben," Ian began, with just a bit of impatience in his voice. "You've spent your entire life searching for this treasure, only to have the respected historical community treat your family with mockery and contempt. You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces."

Mary then started to take what Riley said earlier to heart. She looked back at the young man, and noticed that he was keeping an eye on Shaw and his hand in his pocket.

_No, no, no, there's no way this is happening, _she told herself, and then looked back at her brother, who was staring at the older man standing before him with a blank face.

_Ben won't do it, Ian, _Mary thought, casting wary glances towards Ian.

"How?" Ben asked, looking down.

The brunette dropped her mouth open with wide eyes.

"What?!" she shouted, causing every to jump, but Ben put a hand up. Mary snapped her mouth shut, but, oh, how she wanted to say more. This was _not_ her brother!

Ian started to shift uncomfortably, knowing he was about to reveal his jagged past.

"We all have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine are limited to writing checks do you? In another life, I arranged a number of operations of…questionable legality."

Shaw stepped up, with his hand still in his pocket…Mary now noticed this, taking a step back. "I'd take his word for it, if I were you."

The computer nerd who had been in the background the entire time, looked at Mary Gates. _I think she believes me now_, he thought.

Surprisingly, however, Ben looked towards him and in a split second he nodded towards his sister. The young man got the silent message and snuck behind the brunette.

At that moment, Riley stepped up behind Mary again, and gently grabbed her arm unlike the last time he did. He led her away from Ian and Shaw and towards the hammocks on the far-left side. And, this time, she didn't object. Luckily, no one noticed, save for Ben.

"So don't worry, I'll make all of the arrangements," Ian said, sounding quite jovial for just suggesting a criminal act. He got up, thinking all was well, and began to leave the cargo hold, but stopped when Ben spoke.

"No," the older Gates said resolutely.

"Oh thank goodness," Mary said aloud, but quickly covered her mouth when Shaw shot her a warning look.

Ian started walking closer to her brother. "I'd really need your help here," he said slowly, yet losing his friendly tone at the same time.

When that was stated, Ben got up and said with pure confidence. "Ian…I am _not_ going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence!"

The man simply nodded. "Ok. From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance." He motioned towards Shaw, and Shaw pulled a gun from his coat, pointing it towards Ben's temple.

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Well, I hope you guys liked this one, as well! I just love those relationships that start out rocky.

R&R please. I'll make reviewers pecan pancakes…which, like Riley, are stinkin amazing!


	4. Guns and Exploding Ships

Finally, I got so many plot bunnies during this one. There were so many things that I could do, but I hope I chose the right ones!

Enjoy!

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Mary was in complete shock. It really felt like she had received a punch to the face. But, after that moment, she instinctively took a step forward This was her brother, the person whom she had been with for her entire life so far, and she wasn't about to let some "criminal" murder him.

Unfortunately, Riley grabbed hold of her, and wouldn't let her move.

"Let me go!" she hissed, and struggled against his grasp, but he was stronger than he looked.

"I_will_, as soon as you stop acting like an idiot!" he said, strained trying to keep a firm hold on the woman.

"No!" she yelled, not caring if she did call herself an idiot. "That's my brother!"

Ian heard the woman's outburst, and turned towards her.

"Stay out of this Ms. Gates," he said, warning her not to take any action against him. There would be consequences if she did.

She couldn't believe that man just said that to her. That just made her twist Riley's arm, hoping that would free her from his grasp.

That didn't stop the young man, however. He just spun her around, so that she would understand what he was saying.

"Jumping in front of a loaded gun _won't_ help your brother!" he exclaimed, hoping that would calm the woman down.

She looked in his eyes, startling Riley. He never thought he'd _ever_ see Mary Gates cry.

"I have to do _something_," she stated, trying to sound strong, but still, her voice was shaking uncontrollably.

The young man didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything that would make her feel better because he _never_ said anything comforting to the woman that teased him to no end. So, he just kept her turned around from the scene happening before him.

_Don't get yourself killed, Ben_, he thought, also scared of what was happening. This was supposed to be just some stupid journey for a stupid clue. This was not on the list of things that was going to happen in the computer nerd's mind.

Ben then looked at Shaw, who was still holding the gun right where it was before. "What are you gonna do? Are you going to shoot me, Shaw?"

Shaw simply just nodded with a smirk.

But, Ben still continued, though his heart started to pound harder against his chest.

"Well, you can't shoot me. There's more to the riddle. Information you don't have. I do. I'm the only one who can figure it out, and you know it."

Shaw still kept the gun pointed at his head, but now there seemed to be a sense of doubt in his air.

"He's bluffing," he said, trying get rid of it.

Ben started to move a little, when he realized he was saying the right words. He turned his head to Ian.

"We played poker together, Ian. You know I can't bluff."

Ian seemed unmoved. "Tell me what I need to know, Ben." He then motioned for Shaw to move his gun towards the hammocks on the far left side.

"Or, I'll shoot your sister."

Mary, who was still forcibly looking away from the frightening scene, froze; her whole body tensed up and Riley felt it.

He looked at the man holding the gun, and then towards Ben, who looked like he might suffer from cardiac arrest any second.

Well, he did one of the only things he could do; talk.

"Come on Shaw, put the gun down," he said, a little higher-pitched than usual, but his feet were still firmly planted on the ground. But, after he said that, the two heard another gun cock. Riley whipped his head to where Ian was, and saw that the villain had a gun pointed towards him now.

"Quiet Riley," the gun holder said, showing no remorse about what he was doing. "Your job is finished here."

The young man was speechless, and he turned his head towards the young woman in front of him. Her eyes were full of fear, and she was speechless as well. _What do you say at a moment like this?_

Mary had the same thoughts, as well, even if they were all mostly incoherent.

_Ben, I can't see him one last time, and Riley, what do I say to him? I don't hate you? I think you're a nice person? Oh gosh, I don't know what to do! This can not be it!_

So, she said the only thing that came to mind. The frightened brunette grabbed hold of the shaking arms that were holding hers.

"I hope you know this isn't going to turn into a sappy romance moment."

He laughed shakily, appreciating the return of her sarcasm for the moment.

"Good."

Their "moment" was interrupted, though. Riley finally let the young woman go when she heard something that sounded like someone striking a huge match.

Her brother had struck a flare against a flare and was now pointing it at Ian. And, just like the flare, Ben's eyes were ablaze.

At first, Riley thought he was going to toss it at them…but that would just be redundant.

"Look where you're standing," he said, his words lace with an anger Mary had never heard come from her brother before. "All that gunpowder. You shoot me or _anyone_, I drop this, and we all go up."

_Nevermind. Not redundant,_ the computer nerd thought, and also thinking that being shot might be a better way to go than being blown up.

"Ben," Riley called out, making sure that his friend was still sane.

Mary was starting to go dizzy. This was too much for a city girl to handle in five minutes.

Shaking her head, hoping she would calm herself down by doing that, she looked towards Ian, wondering how he was reacting to the situation.

Ian, however, was still calm as ever.

_This guy has no emotion at all!_

The villain took a step forward, challenging Ben.

"What happens when the flare burns down?" he asked, causing the flare-holder to second guess what he was doing. Ian then took another step forward.

"Tell me what I need to know, Ben," he said.

Mary couldn't help it. She caught a death grip on Riley's arm, causing him to inhale sharply.

"Sorry," she squeaked.

Riley simply nodded and turned his attention back to Ben. _Please tell me he isn't going to do something insane…_

"You need to know…," the flare-holder drew out, looking from Ian to Shaw repeatedly. He stalled for a split second before he shouted out.

"If Shaw can catch!"

Ben chucked the burning flare towards the ground, and backed up quickly. Ian, however, had fast reflexes and caught the flare before it hit the gun powder.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Mary shrieked, shaking Riley's numb arm to death.

Ian waved the flare in front of Ben's face in his cocky manner.

"Nice try, though-" he didn't even get to finish his arrogant statement, for the flare burnt down, and Ian's arm suffered the consequences of it.

Unfortunately, though, he dropped the flare into the gun powder.

"Oh no," Mary breathed, as the cargo hold turned into the fourth of July.

She looked around frantically for Ben, but everything was in as much chaos as it was before.

"Ben!" she screamed, but she then noticed that Riley was standing on a pile of gunpowder.

"You idiot!" she snarled, and pushed the unsuspecting nerd out of the way, while jumping out of the way herself, before their previous spot ignited.

"Mary, Riley!" She heard a familiar voice yell over the roar of the fire. "Get over here!"

_Ben!_

She scrambled to her feet and looked around. The brunette couldn't really see through the smoke and flames, but an arm out of nowhere grabbed her wrist, and dragged her through the smoke.

The arm belonged to her big brother, and she would have hugged him to death, but he immediately pushed her through a small door. She landed on the ground with an "oof!" and tried to stand up, but hit her head in the process.

_I take back what I said, Riley…this __**is**__ Indiana Jones! And, it's not as cool as I thought it would be!_

"Mary!" she heard Ben yell, while pushing Riley through, who was as unsuspecting as she. "GO!"

She decided that crawling fast was her best option and took off.

Just after a second of crawling, the tunnel turned into a sauna, and she could see the fire spreading about her.

_That means the fire's coming through!_

The frantic brunette saw another opening before her and quickly dived through, turning back to see if everyone was still with her.

Yes, they were; Riley scrambled in second and Ben in third.

"GET DOWN!" she heard someone yell.

Mary didn't need to be told twice. She ducked, putting her hands over her head, and tried to tune everything out.

But, the huge explosion could not be unheard.

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"Riley," the computer nerd heard someone say in the distance.

_I'm dead. No doubt. I was blown up in the Artic Circle while trapped in an 18__th__ century ship._

"Riley!"

_That voice sounds really irritating…is that Mary?_

He then felt a hard slap to his cheek. That caused him to snap his eyes open to see not the inside of the ship, but a disheveled brunette who looked like she was about to slap his face, again.

"I'm alive?" He asked, dead-panned.

"Unfortunately, yeah," she said, plopping down on the snow. She did sound a little relieved, though.

The young man shook his head, and looked at the whole scene. He thought he'd see some of the ship, but now, all he saw were piles of wood

"We survived _this_." He almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"You don't have to remind us," the brunette mumbled. She tried to get up, but her legs were like jelly and she just fell back down.

Riley looked around and found Ben already up, and moving debris so they could get out of where ever they were.

"There's an Inuit village nine miles east of here," the man said out loud, but his voice was still raspy from the previous events. "It's popular with bush pilots."

"I'm guessing Ian and his men took both vehicles," Mary said, not too excited about walking nine miles in the snow.

"Of course," Riley mumbled, finally getting up. He turned to Ben, who started walking through the path he created.

The computer nerd jogged up near Ben, though almost tripping, and asked, "Then what are we going to do?"

"Start making our way back home," the history buff said, like it was just another day under the sun.

Riley raised an eyebrow beneath his glasses. "No…," he started off slowly, making sure Ben was hearing him correctly, "I meant about Ian. He's going to steal the Declaration of Independence, Ben."

He saw the person beside him stop. Ben looked at his sister and then at him.

"We stop him."

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please, remember to review, because they make me happy! Or, you know...you could make me depressed...which do you want on your conscience?


	5. Fighting in the morning

Hey guys! I saw NT2 yesterday, and it was AMAZING, FANTASTIC, TRES BIEN!!! I could go one for hours about how awesome it was, but I do want you guys to read this chapter.

Thanks for the reviews they made me extremely happy. Here are some shout-outs for those who did review!

Nelle07: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

PropheticIllusion: Yes, I did put this story up here before, but it was in dire need of editing, and I wanted to change some of the story lines. I LOVE it when the main characters don't like each other at first, plus, there's the humor of them not liking each other. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked it!

bunny94: I'm happy you liked the chapter. I hope the update was soon enough, haha.

daisyduke80: Actually, that idea sounds very good! Should I or shouldn't I have Ian shoot Riley…that's the question. It would create a dramatic effect…and I love those…Hmm, well, I guess we'll see when I get to the end. Thanks for the review!

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After getting back to Washington, D.C. at four in the morning, Ben never would sleep. When he walked through the apartment door, he moved straight for the telephone, calling the police. That came to no avail, however. The person on the other line just laughed at the caller, saying that he needed a vacation.

"You really think the authorities are going to be able to stop Ian?" his sister asked as she started to pour some coffee for the two weary men on the couch.

"If none of the authorities ever take us seriously, then no." Ben rubbed his temples and gladly accepted the mug of caffeine from Mary.

The brunette sat on the piano bench, after setting a mug in front of the knocked-out-Riley on the wooden coffee table. She took a glance at her brother, noticing that he has indeed suffered from barely any sleep for the past 2 days. That wasn't including the flight back either.

Mary could tell that the events that happened at the Charlotte took a toll on her brother. He trusted Ian, and Ian betrayed him. It took a toll on her, too. Her brother was held at gun point…she was held at gun point, and even Riley was. They were almost blown up in a ship, and Ian got away with the meerschaum pipe. But, she knew that they were going to do something about it, so Mary didn't let it haunt her as much.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to try the FBI," Ben muttered, looking at his watch, which read a quarter past midnight.

The computer nerd slowly opened his eyes when that was said, and yawned. He saw the caffeine placed before him, and immediately took it.

"Want me to come with you?" Mary asked, trying not to look too worried.

"I'll come, too," Riley mumbled, placing the mug back down on the table. "If you want."

Ben was in sort of a daze, looking out the window, but he snapped out of it when they both offered to go with him.

"Yeah," he said, coming back to the present. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He got up from the couch, and started making his way towards his room. _Probably not going to sleep_, Mary thought with a frown as her brother slowly shut the door.

Riley sighed and spread out over the full length of the couch, though his feet were hanging over the side, the brunette got up off the floor and took the mugs to the counter by the couch.

"I'm guessing that Mr. Night of the Living Dead hasn't slept at all." The speaker took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

The youngest Gates leaned on the counter, sighing in the same manner as the young man did.

"Nope."

She usually didn't talk about her brother with the computer nerd, considering she didn't know the bespectacled man that well, but after the Charlotte incident, Mary deemed Riley at least trustworthy. Don't get them wrong, their relationship still remained the same (Mary loved teasing him, and Riley just didn't like her that much because of it), but they knew they were on the same side now.

"I guess it's good that we're going with him tomorrow, then," Riley reasoned, sounding like he was about to drift off to sleep at any moment.

The woman cocked an eyebrow towards the speaker.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Somebody has to pick him up when he passes out on the floor."

A ghost of a smile came to the young man's lips as he heard the woman in the kitchen laugh, and then he fell asleep. But, he did have a last thought run through his mind.

_If only she was like this more often._

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The trio woke up early in the morning, and started making their way to FBI Headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building.

"What street do I turn on?" Riley asked, since he was driving. For some reason he loves driving the old van which is one of the things Mary loves to torment him about.

Ben, who was in the passenger seat, gave a look to his sister, making sure there were to be no arguments. The brunette sat back in a huff, and stayed silent.

"Pennsylvania Avenue," her brother stated as they stopped at an intersection. "Turn right at the next intersection."

When they got to the large concrete building, they all got out of the van, with Ben opening the door for his sister. She got out, dusting her backside off since there were no seats in the back of the vehicle, thus she sat on the floor for the whole trip.

"Remind me again why _I_ got stuck in the back?" she muttered out loud. When no one said anything, she sighed, thinking…

_Men…_

Riley reached into the car, getting out an old blazer which had seen better days. He frowned at the evil piece of fabric in his hands. This was out of his comfort zone. Jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies were his life.

"I thought I'd never have to dress up again," he mused to himself as he slipped the blazer on.

"You know," Mary began, giving him a disbelieving look. "You're wearing Chuck Taylors and jeans."

Pretending not to catch her real meaning, the young man gave a huge sigh. "I know. The shirt and blazer just ruin the outfit."

The two bickering adults may have almost died together in the Artic Circle and were actually civil to each other the previous night, but it's funny how fast those moments pass. But, what's strange is that they never had any civil moments before the incident…not that the two noticed it, though.

Ben nudged his sister, which was his way of telling her to stop it. Other days he would have just sat back and laughed at the spectacles those two could make together, but not today. Though, it did raise his spirits knowing that his friend and sister weren't affected by the previous events that had happened.

In fact, he smiled when he remembered a particular moment at a public library between the two that he loved to endlessly remind them of.

Random Ben flashback of Mary and Riley spectacles:

_The trio was at a local library near their apartment, and was looking through different biographies of George Washington, Paul Revere, and Benjamin Franklin seeing if there was any mention of a person, place, or thing named "Charlotte."_

_Riley saw on the catalogue that there was a book on the Revolutionary War and thought that it might help. He left Ben and Mary to go look on the shelves._

_After a couple of minutes of waiting for the computer nerd, Mary got impatient and decided to look for the book herself._

_A couple of seconds later, Ben heard two familiar people talking in an aisle near to him. He leaned his chair back, and saw his sister and Riley looking for the book together. He thought this was very strange._

"_Why are they acting civil?" he asked himself. His sister can't live if she hasn't at least teased Riley once within a time span of ten minutes…_

_It was quiet between the two for a few more moments, but then Riley broke the silence._

"_That's not the book," he heard his friend say._

_Mary knelt down, so Ben guessed the non-fiction work was at the bottom of the shelf._

"_But, this has the same title." The older Gates knew that tone. It was the I'm-right-so-shut up tone._

_He couldn't hear what was said next, but he noticed they were walking towards the table. Ben immediately turned back to the biography of Paul Revere that lay before him, and pretended he had been reading the whole time._

"_Miss Gates always has to be right, of course," Ben heard Riley mutter with obvious sarcasm._

"_Well, since you're always wrong, someone has to be," Mary said cheerfully._

_The listener then heard someone stumble. Ben winced when he knew things were about to get a little louder. It was inevitable._

"_Did you just try to trip me?!" he heard his sister ask with incredulity. _

"_Why would anyone do that?" Ben seriously wondered sometimes if those two regressed in maturity only when they are in each other's presence…or if it was a real psychological problem…_

_There were a few more seconds of silence, but then there was another sound of someone stumbling. Ben decided enough was enough and turned around to calm the both of them down, but his eyes widened in surprise when a disastrous scene unfolded before him._

_After Mary tripped Riley, he lost his footing, but the brunette tried to keep him from falling…she wasn't that cruel…_

_Her petite figure, however, was not strong enough to keep the taller computer nerd upright, and they both ended up crashing into a nearby shelf…_

…_Knocking the whole thing down…_

_CRASH_

End of Ben's flashback:

The memory actually made Ben chuckle softly to himself. He looked over to Riley and Mary let his smile stay on his face a bit longer because at that moment, his sister was trying to get his friend to wear a tie.

_Where in the world did she get that anyways?_

"Forget it," the computer said with resolve, slapping the brunette's hand that held the nefarious accessory away.

Mary sighed from frustration, almost wanting to scream at the stubborn 27-year old standing before her.

"It's _just_ a tie, Riley," she said slowly, calming down a bit before she suffered a premature heart attack. "And, I'm just trying to make you look more professional-"

"No…" the said person laughed, humored at her lie. "You're just trying to make me do something I don't want to do…an activity that you strive to do daily."

The young woman scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I think the actual problem lies with the fact that you're a lazy jerk!"

Riley felt like he wanted to rip his hair out, but he stuck with clenching his teeth. "You should really rethink that." He unclenched his teeth. "You put me through _heck_ everyday-"

"Riley, put on the tie. Mary, stop bothering him. We need to go in," Ben interrupted, becoming impatient with them real fast even after his visit down memory lane. They were at the J. Edgar Hoover building for a reason after all. It seemed after a few months of hearing arguing constantly, his patience started to desert him.

The arguing adults quickly set their minds to the task at hand, though they did send glares to each other every now and then.

"Think they'll believe us?" Riley asked as they finally opened the doors. He didn't exactly sound very positive when he inquired about it, though.

Ben sighed, and cleared his throat from being slightly nervous.

"We'll find out."

_10 minutes later…_

"Is it really so hard to believe that someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence?" Riley asked loudly as the trio exited the FBI building. A near by parent with a stroller heard him and walked briskly away, comforting her crying child.

"That's a way to exasperate the situation," Mary muttered under her breath, though the irritated young man heard it.

Ben quickly caught Riley's shoulder, steering the young man away from his sister before another argument could occur.

"Sometimes I don't know how you two could be related," the computer nerd took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes out of frustration.

"She has her moments," the older Gates referred to his sister, who was currently at a pretzel stand, not looking very happy…Ben knew that whenever Mary was frustrated she had a tendency to eat whatever she saw that was edible…

_Yeah, moments of demonic possession_, the young man thought to himself, knowing that Ben would not like that said about his sister.

Before Mary came back, Ben decided that now would be the time to have a quick heart to heart about their situation.

"Listen, Riley," the young man looked towards the speaker, "You know that she only argues with you for fun."

The computer nerd put his glasses back on with a disbelieving look.

"I think it's actually because we don't like each other," he said bluntly. Such a misinterpretation on his part.

The older man laughed, knowing fully well that they would probably have to work out their differences themselves, but he had to try.

A familiar shadow appeared on the ground, and Mary stood in between her brother and Riley snacking on a huge pretzel. It was moments like these that confused the young man. She torments him to no end, yet won't leave his side…

_I hate the opposite sex…_Riley thought, wishing that she would just stop appearing in his line of sight.

"So," the young woman broke the silence, plus she didn't like how a certain person was looking at her. "We've been to the FBI, and that was a flop."

"Really," that same certain person muttered sarcastically.

She shot the speaker a look, but he just smiled innocently at her.

Ben sighed. "The FBI gets 10,000 tips a week. They aren't going to worry about something they are sure is safe."

_Idiotic logic._

Mary finished her pretzel, tossing the wrapper at Riley carefree. She then dusted her hands off.

"Then…what are we going to do?"

Tossing the wrapper back at Mary, Riley decided to introduce some logic. "Anyone that can do anything is going to think we're crazy and anyone crazy enough to believe us isn't going to want to help."

The young woman had to agree with his logic, though she wouldn't admit it…mostly because he would bite her head off anyway. So, she just stuck with throwing the wrapper back at the man.

_I am so weird._

Ben nodded in agreement, catching the wad of paper at the same time. This made Mary fold her arms with a huff.

"We don't need someone crazy," Ben thought out loud, and then turned to the other two standing behind him. "But one step short of crazy and what do you get?"

Riley didn't even need to think about his answer.

"Obsessed."

Ben looked slightly crestfallen at this. That wasn't the answer that he was looking for. He looked towards his sister, who was still trying to swallow the last of her pretzel. She looked up towards him and realized that he wanted an answer out of her as well.

She really had no idea what he wanted her to say.

"Er…fatuous?"

Riley cocked an eyebrow at her, as well as Ben.

The brunette started to become uncomfortable with the stares she was receiving. "What? Don't you guys know what fatuous means?"

"I think you're the only person who does," the computer nerd said flatly.

Mary folded her arms, scowling at the young man. "What _was _the right answer then, because you were wrong, too."

"Passionate," her brother responded, shaking his head.

Riley looked away from the glaring woman. "So, where are we going now if we need someone passionate?"

Mary snorted, catching the computer nerd's attention. "Without a doubt, the National Archives." She turned towards Ben, who was nodding in agreement.

"Are those guys the ultimate nerds or something?" Riley inquired, looking confused.

"No, that title belongs to you." Eh, it was a habit for Mary. Sometimes she can't help herself.

Riley cocked his head to the side, and gave an impish smile. "Cute, Mary."

"Mary, stop," Ben started to walk. "We need to get there as soon as possible, and I'm getting a headache from you two acting like a dysfunctional couple."

His sister froze, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up. _Is the temperature rising out here? _She felt her pale face start to heat up. She wasn't the only one suffering from Ben's comment, however. Riley was rubbing the back of his neck, looking down, finding the ground very interesting at the moment.

Mary couldn't help herself, she wanted to see how Riley was reacting. _I'm just curious…that's it. End of discussion. _She turned around, to see the young man looking at the ground.

Riley felt a pair of eyes upon him. He sighed as he looked up, knowing it was a certain woman. He _really _wished she would just disappear sometimes…like right now.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, annoyed.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Obviously nothing." She turned around and walked briskly away towards the van.

_It's not like I wanted him to say anything, anyways._

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W00t!! Another chapter!! But, don't worry, I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow! Please review if you don't want me to suffer from depression!


	6. A Memory Changes Everything

So…I saw Sweeney Todd, today…I don't think I have ever seen so much blood in my entire life. But, it was still a great movie! Johnny Depp is fantastic as always, and he had a very interesting singing style, too. Oh well, that's all. Shout out time!

PropheticIllusion: Haha, I can't be depressed! Not with all of these awesome reviews! Riley fighting with someone is always fun, isn't it? I'm happy you liked it!

aksdfkhdsfx3: I think I feel tears of happiness coming to my eyes. Thank you! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

AColdSky: Thanks for the review! And, who couldn't love NT2?! Haha, awesome movie. I'm going to see it for the second time on Christmas with my family. I think I'm using them as an excuse to see it again. :)

lanmwolf: I enjoyed writing the flashbacks a lot! I'm glad you liked it, and my story! I hope this update was soon enough, and meets your standards.

Nelle07: Yay! Thanks for the review! How was NT2 compared to the first one? I liked the second better, actually. But, that might be because there's more Riley in it…pathetic reason, I know.

bunny94: Awesome. I'm happy you liked the chapter, and hopefully this one was likeable, too.

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After an awkward ride to the National Archives, Mary decided it was best to keep her mouth shut, since every time she opened it, Ben got irritated. It wasn't like him to be on such a short fuse. The brunette has seen him mad, but not for long periods of time; never like this.

_I can't even help him_. She looked at her brother in the driver's seat, and gave a quiet sigh. Mary really had no idea what to say to him. _And, if I did, would it be the right thing to say?_

_I hate lose-lose situations…_

Her brown eyes were then diverted to the individual sitting by her brother. What a day…_I think we've set an argument record…_not that she liked that thought. At first she started teasing him for fun; that's the way it's always been! But, ever since the Charlotte, Riley has been making the arguments more personal and Mary did _not _like that one bit. He made the point of her making him do things he didn't want to do…

_I do not!! …Or, maybe I do…Do I?_

She blew her bangs from her eyes out of frustration, and tried to remember if she ever ordered Riley around. Mary stared at a random leaf in the back of the van until a memory passed through her mind. It was the night before they were all going to start making their trip to the Artic Circle. She vaguely remembered asking him to do a few things…

The younger Gates scoffed in her mind when she thought of it. _Oh, bless the poor man's soul…I only asked him to take the trash out!_ She then gave a sardonic smile, thinking him to be lazy.

Another part of that night crept up, though. _Okay…I also asked him to clean the kitchen…but that's a small favor! _Her smile faded a little after that.

And, it faded even more when something else flashed through her mind. _Along with vacuuming the living room and dusting the piano…_

_Well, that was a busy night_, she told her self, nodding to confirm it. However, more moments appeared in her memory. Her eyes widened when she lost count of useless things she made Riley do.

_Oh my gosh…I even made him come with me to my yoga class! _Mary laid the back of her head against the side of vehicle, grunting when the contact hurt more than she meant it to. The brunette put a hand over her eyes when she remembered that little moment.

Flashback:

_Mary popped over the kitchen counter, scaring an unsuspecting Riley Poole, who had been sitting on the couch._

_After calming his heart down, he narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "Don't you have other people to torment?"_

_She smiled like she always did, and came from behind the counter, plopping on the couch by the computer nerd. He was starting to become a little suspicious._

"_What…?"_

_The young woman waved her hands in the air dramatically. "Oh…nothing…"_

_Riley made a face as if to say he didn't believe her. _

_She ignored the look, and casually mentioned, "You look like you need to relax." A mischievous then started to grow on her lips.._

_The man sitting by her, turned back to his laptop, though, still wary of the female on the couch. "I am relaxed."_

"_That's what they all say," she stated, and then leaped up from the couch, latching hold of his arm. "Come on, let's go take yoga!"_

_Not expecting this sudden outburst, and surprising strength from the petite woman, Riley was pulled off the couch, almost dropping his computer. He quickly moved it back on the couch, but right after that he was being dragged to the door._

_The young man yanked his arm away from the very determined brunette. _

"_Forget it!" He walked briskly away from the door, very annoyed at being ripped away from his spot on the comfortable piece of furniture._

_Mary, however, sprinted back in front of him with terrible puppy-dog eyes._

"_Come on, Riley," she whined, yet was still grinning. "My friends that I usually go with are out of town, and I can't go by myself!"_

_Rolling his shoulder that was almost ripped out of its socket, the man rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you could kill anyone that tries to attack you."_

_The younger Gates took that as a compliment, though, Riley definitely didn't mean for it to be one._

_After a moment of staring each other down, one hoping the other would give in, the man in the Rolling Stones t-shirt gave a frustrated sigh._

"_No," he said resolutely. Mary then frowned from disappointment and Riley took this as his victory. He walked ahead of her._

_The woman then whipped around and dug her hand into his back pocket, stealing his PDA._

"_What in the world?!" Riley pivoted snatching for the technology that Mary stole. Ah, but she had faster reflexes, and easily kept it from his grasp._

"_Give my PDA back you freak!"_

"_Come with me to my class, and I will!" He grabbed for it again, but to no avail. He knew she wouldn't give it up, and he was starting to get tired._

_He stopped and let out a long held breath, wanting to just throw her out the window. He'd unfortunately go to jail for that, though he'd be doing the world a huge favor._

_Riley saw the woman put the piece of technology in her pocket and he just glared at her._

"_**Fine**__." He said through clenched teeth._

"_Righto!" Mary sprinted to the door, smiling because of her triumph. Riley, however, stomped to the door, frowning because of his failure. The woman opened the door, and let him through first. "After you."_

End Flashback:

"I am a terrible person!" Mary blurted out, causing her brother to almost swerve off the road, and Riley almost suffering from whip lash.

The vehicle came to a halt at a red light.

"What in the world, Mary?!" Ben said, incredulously, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

Riley wasn't saying anything; he was just staring at her like she was completely insane. Mary finally realized what she just did, and almost spazzed out.

"Oh! Sorry!" she slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm really sorry, Ben!"

_Can't I do anything right, today?!_

"I just, you know, heh-I just, well- I remembered something…" After she stuttered all that out to the two confused men, she laughed nervously.

"Yeah," Riley said flatly. "We heard you little revelation. I'm glad you finally realized the truth before we almost crashed and died."

Mary stayed silent, knowing that the young man probably meant what he just said. She couldn't believe she never saw it. _I do put him through heck each day._

The man sitting in the passenger's seat raised his eyebrows in surprise when the woman said nothing back. She _always _talked back to him.

_Weird. _

He shook his head, turning back to the dashboard. It's not like he _wanted _to take a jab at him. Yes, that's it. He's glad she didn't say anything.

Ben furrowed his brow while he analyzed his sister, but he saw the columns of the National Archives building appear on Constitution Avenue. He'd _definitely_ bring the subject of her outburst up later.

"Do I have to wear this stupid tie again?" Riley started tugging at the striped accessory hanging around his neck. Ben noticed that for some unknown reason, his friend actually looked expectant. He was looking to the side as if he was trying to find Mary without moving his head.

_Does he __**want**__ her to argue with him?! _

He waited for Mary's sharp reply…but none came. Once, the vehicle was parked in the crowded parking lot, he turned his head to see his sister looking like she was about to kill herself.

Riley had no idea why he purposefully made the comment about the tie when he knew that Mary would without a doubt snap at him. _Great…I'm going insane too…_He got out of the van, and glanced back at the brunette who was also getting out.

She sighed as she dusted her black skirt off. The brunette automatically felt someone's eyes on her, but after her little outburst on the road, she wasn't very surprised. But, Mary looked up anyway, and saw Riley Poole giving her the strangest look.

_What's his problem?_

"Do I have something on me?" She reached back into the van got her Nine West heels out of the van. She really didn't want to put the things back on.

Riley snapped out of his façade, and played it off by rolling his eyes and messing with his tie again, and walking towards Ben who was asking an individual where they could find the Office of Records Services.

Mary felt the guilt compile when she looked at that blasted tie. _I made him wear that_.

The computer nerd was about to be within Ben's hearing distance, but the young woman behind him spoke up.

"You don't have to wear the tie," she said sounding…shy?

His head whipped around in shock, surprising the brunette.

Riley squeezed his eyes shut, rethinking what just took place. "Sorry, what?"

She gave him a look._It's not that shocking! _Mary pointed towards the tie. "The tie. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to."

"Who are you?" he asked with wide eyes, walking up to the young woman.

The younger Gates frowned. "Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"I said you don't have to wear it! Is it that shocking that I said that?!"

"Yes!"

Ben looked back at the two. He didn't know what was wrong with his sister before, but she obviously got over it. He looked back to the man he was getting directions from, but he was also looking at the people behind him.

"Those two married?" he asked, laughing.

"It seems like it doesn't it?" Ben responded flatly.

"I'm not a tie-Nazi, you don't have to wear it!" she shouted, annoyed beyond belief at the ridiculous person standing before her.

"Maybe I want to wear it!"

"_Fine_!" Mary stomped in front of Riley, muttering colorful words. _What's his problem?! I try to be nice and he shoves it back in my face! _

The tie-wearer smirked at his victory. _I showed her._ _Who does she think she is? Giving me a choice, how dare-_

His mouth fell open when he actually thought it through. He snapped his head to look at the quickly retreating woman.

He stood there, and wondered if he was dreaming. _She was being nice…_Thinking those words were foreign to him. Riley then scratched the back of his head as he walked forward to a waiting Ben and a seething Mary. First, she didn't tease him in the car, and then she was trying to be thoughtful towards him.

He stood before the brother and sister, and Ben explained that they were going to see one Dr. Chase. He followed the two in front of him through the building and into the waiting room of the Office of Records Services.

Mary sat there with folded arms, glaring a hole in the wall. _Does he __**want**__ to argue with me forever?! I try to be kind and he acts like I'm from another planet! _

Then, after she though about it more, another possibility invaded her mind. _Maybe he really hates me_. The brunette slouched deeper into her chair, resting her chin on her hand. For some reason, that thought disturbed her, because it would go back to the fact that she teased him every hour of every day for the past five months. _Great, that's my fault too. _

The young man noticed how Mary's attitude changed for the worse. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Could it be out of guilt? Impossible. Because, she has always been (in Riley's opinion) the Devil-incarnate in the flesh. Yet, there was that familiar tug of guilt in his mind. He imagined apologizing to her, but the imaginary scene almost made him want to laugh. Thus, the computer nerd decided to see how this played out.

Ben felt awkward sitting between Riley and Mary. It felt like if he had a knife, he would be able to cut a very visible line before him. _Everything's going crazy. I need to fix this, because it's making __**me**__ crazy…what's that? _His eyes caught a pamphlet that lay on a table by his friend.

The young man was broken out of his confusing thoughts with Ben reaching over him grabbing a near by pamphlet and study it intently. _It probably has some random fact of history that I don't care about…_

The door then opened before them, and small woman poked her head out. "Dr. Chase can see you now, Mr. Brown."

"Thank you." Ben stood up while Riley just looked at him in confusion.

"Mr. Brown?" Riley inquired as he got up.

"Our family name doesn't get a lot of respect in the academic community," Ben muttered as the three walked towards the

"Oh…" he furrowed his brow, and walked forward as well. Before he knew it, he joked, "I see, being kept down by the man."

Mary walked in first, rolling her eyes as the two men behind her, but then widened her eyes when she saw Dr. Chase. _Abigail Chase is indeed __**not**__ a man._

The brunette looked back to see that Riley had dropped his mouth open. "A very cute man..."

Mary scowled as Dr. Chase shut the door.

_Stupid men…_

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Abigail Chase looked up to the three people entering her office. _Interesting group of people,_ she mused as she looked at them, though she noticed that the young woman in the group had been in better moods. _What's her problem?_

She walked from behind her desk, smiling. "Good afternoon."

"Hi," Riley said, blushing, causing Mary to deepen her scowl and actually narrow her eyes. _How's he supposed to stop hating me if he's off drooling about some other woman?! _ Yes, that's why she's angry…of course.

"Abigail Chase." She extended her hand towards Ben, who still seemed to be affected by the Doctor's appearance. He shook it off, however.

"Paul Brown." They shook hands. Dr. Chase then offered her hand to brunette who was glaring at the ogling Riley.

Mary snapped out of it and plastered a grin on her face. _Can't be rude, can I?_ "Danielle Brown."

Abigail's eyes brightened in interest. "Are you two related?" She gestured towards Ben and Mary.

The elder Gates smiled. "Yes! Danielle's my sister."

The blonde nodded, and then remembered that there was another person standing with the group. She turned towards Riley, and extended her hand to him, as well.

The computer nerd actually stalled for a minute, and just so he wouldn't blow everyone else's cover, he mentioned the first name that came to mind.

"Bill." He winced when she turned away from him.

_Bill…who? Oh well._ "Nice to meet you…Bill." Abigail backed up, and addressed her new acquaintances. "How may I help you?"

Ben couldn't help himself. He noticed the accent in her voice since she first spoke. "Well, your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?"

The blonde was surprised that he asked her that, because no usually ever notices it. She was actually kind of glad, even if he was wrong in his guess.

"Saxony-German." Ben nodded, greatly appreciating her answer.

Mary was staring back and forth between the two with her mood going towards the more positive direction at the same time. _Is he blushing? _She couldn't help but give a mischievous grin. _Somebody's in like_, she thought coyly. It doesn't take much for a sibling to notice that their other sibling finds someone attractive.

"You're not American?" Riley asked, forgetting that one really shouldn't blurt that out. _Great, that made me sound racist. _For some reason, it put a smile to Mary's face whenever the young man embarrassed himself around Dr. Chase. _Only because it's amusing…_

Abigail waved the offense off. "Oh, I am an American. I just wasn't born here." She then noticed that Ben's attention was now directed elsewhere._What is he…? That's my collection!_

"Please don't touch that." She tried to make that sound as nice as possible.

Mary looked over to where Ben was and saw what he was interested in. The collection caught her interest immediately. _I wish I had those…_She had to admit, then, that the blonde had good taste.

"Don't drool, Danielle." Riley rolled his eyes at the brunette who looked longingly at the wall.

"It's so pretty, though." Obviously, she didn't know that Riley was the speaker. The computer nerd sighed and looked at Ben, who had moved away from what looked to be a coin collection.

Ben looked at the Doctor, a little flushed from being reprimanded. "Sorry. Neat collection." He pointed back at the display on the fireplace mantel. "George Washington's campaign buttons. You're missing the 1789 inaugural, though. I found one, once." _I hope that wasn't considered bragging._

Abigail had to admit to herself that she was a little jealous. She would gladly pay a large amount of money to have the 1789 inaugural added to her collection. She shook her head, remembering there had to be a reason as to why these people were here in her office. "That's very fortunate for you. Now, you told my assistant that this was an urgent matter?"

"Ah, yes ma'am." Ben sat down in the chair in front of him. For some reason, it was starting to get very hot in the office…or maybe it was because he was starting to become very intimidated by the blonde sitting at the desk. He saw her lace her fingers together and look at him expectantly.

The brunette dragged her head away from the wall, and walked towards a set of two chairs. She looked around for a third one, but it was taken up by Dr. Chase. The brunette then looked back at the chair to her left, but it was now occupied by her brother. _One chair left…_Her eyes drifted to the chair on her right, and surprise, surprise!! Riley was already sitting in that space, as well. Oh…how she wanted to slap him…

Abigail noticed the woman standing up, looking very displeased. Ben was about to start talking, but she couldn't just let his sister stand there the entire time. The blonde raised a hand for stalling the conversation, and looked at Mary.

"Would you like a chair, Ms. Brown?"

Mary looked towards the speaker, but her grimace was still fixed on her face. "No thank you, Dr. Chase. I'll just _stand_." The brunette went back to giving the ignorant nerd the evil eye.

"Are you sure?"

"_Positive_."

Giving the seething brunette one last look, Abigail turned back to Ben, who was currently shaking his towards the floor. She cleared her throat, and the man looked back up.

"Right." He sat up straight. "Well, I am going to get straight to the point."

_Thank you._ She nodded, telling him to continue.

_Just say it…like it's something you usually say…_ "Someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence."

Riley had never heard a more awkward silence after that was said, plus he was starting to fidget under Mary's evil eye…which he was clueless about. He had to say something to get rid of the quietude.

"It's true."

Dr. Chase didn't know whether she should laugh or take them seriously, but with their intense looks, she had a feeling they were not lying.

The blonde moved one of her hands towards the phone to her left. "I think I better put you in touch with the FBI-"

"We've been to the FBI," Ben interrupted.

"And…"

"We wouldn't be here if they believed us," Mary said, irate. She didn't mean for that to sound so rude, but the heels were killing her feet and it would out of the question to go barefoot in the National Archives building.

"And they assured us the Declaration could not _possibly_ be stolen," Riley mimicked the agent that they talked to at the FBI.

Abigail hated to rain on their parade, but… "They're right."

Ben nodded. "My company and I are less certain. However, if we were given the privilege of examining the document, we would be able to tell you for certain if it was in any danger."

The blonde leaned back in her chair. _This should be interesting. _"What do you think you're going to find?"

"We believe that there is a…_encryption_ on the back."

"An encryption of what?"

The elder Gates started to become nervous again. "Er…a cartograph."

Mary couldn't help but look at her brother with a raised eyebrow. _It would have been so much easier to say "map."_

Abigail looked confused. "A map?"

Ben could feel his hands starting to sweat. "Yes ma'am."

"A map of what?"

"The location of…" he had to pause to clear his throat before his voice cracked. "…of items of historic and intrinsic value."

Riley let out a soft breath, and looked at his friend. _He could have saved us a couple of minutes just by saying a "treasure map."_

"A treasure map?" Abigail started to have a feeling where this was heading.

"Yes ma'am."

The computer nerd leaned forward. "That's where we lost the FBI."

"Actually," Mary stepped behind Riley and squeezed his shoulder to the point of bringing tears to the young man's eyes. "I think we lost them long before that." She let go of him roughly, and winced when her shoes created a sore on her heel. _Forget being nice, he doesn't even know how to let a woman sit in a chair._

Not noticing their silent exchange, Dr. Chase turned back to Ben, who shifted in his seat. "You're treasure hunters aren't you?" _How cute_, she thought sardonically, knowing that the meetin was about to be over any minute from that point.

"We're more like treasure protectors."

"Unlike the people trying to steal the document," Mary said. She had a feeling, however, that the National Archives was going to be a flop, as well._If Ian could see us now, he would be laughing to the point of hyperventilation._

The blonde nodded, looking a little amused. "Ms. and Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence, and I promise you the only thing there is a notation that reads "Original Declaration of Independence, dated-"

"Four of July, 1776. Yes ma'am," he interrupted, though Dr. Chase was impressed that he knew that.

"But, no map," she said simply.

Mary sighed when there was another awkward silence. She knew what they had to say, but even when she thought it, it sounded completely ridiculous. _Yeah! It's invisible. We must be telling the truth!_

Riley knew Ben was going to say it, but he couldn't help but shake his head. _I might as well start heading for the door._

Ben screwed his face up in thought, hoping that there was another way to say that the map was invisible. Even if he said it was hidden, the woman would ask another question leading up to the fact the map was invisible. He looked up at Dr. Chase's expectant face, and gave a failing sigh.

"It's invisible."

Abigail put her hands up to her mouth to hide the smile that was threatening to appear on her lips. Once she got that under control, she spoke.

"Oh…right."

Mary raised a hand. "I know it sounds crazy, but…" she couldn't even finish her sentence; she even thinks it's crazy, though what her brother is saying is the truth.

The blonde looked back at Ben, still looking amused. "What led you to assume there is this invisible map?" 

The elder Gates looked up, expecting her to have already asked them to leave, so he took the time he had, gladly. "We found an engraving on the stem of a two-hundred-year old pipe."

Riley nodded, enthusiastic. "Owned by Free Masons-"

"-In an 18th century, American ship," Mary finished quickly, hoping anything they said at this point would be taken into consideration.

The individual behind the desk look mildly interested. "May I see the pipe?"

Riley and Mary quickly remembered that Ian stole it, and the computer nerd mentally cursed the villain for taking it. "We don't have it."

"But," Mary broke in, laughing nervously. "If we did have it, we would let you see it." _Like that means anything!_ She then noticed Abigail lean forward in a serious manner.

"Did Big Foot take it?"

Ben took that as their parting cue, and got up. "It was nice meeting you."

Abigail was still in a state of amusement. "It was nice to meet you, too." _This will be a good story to share at lunch._

_Okay, I don't like her anymore,_ Riley grimaced. _Mean Declaration lady…_ He got up, as well, and noticed Mary giving him a look.

"What?"

The brunette put a fake smile on her face. "Was the chair comfortable?"

The computer nerd looked confused. "Why are you asking?" They walked out of Dr. Chase's office.

"Well, I never got to sit in it." Her eyes turned dark, or at least it looked that way to Riley. "So I _wouldn't know_."

Riley looked at her, dead panned. "It's my fault you never got to sit down…?"

Mary raised her arms up, dramatically, almost hitting an individual walking by. "He gets it!" She clapped with mockery. "You win!"

Riley actually smiled, putting his hands in his pockets as they exited the waiting room. "You're just mad because you had to stand up. Heaven forbid."

The brunette snapped her head and looked him with an open mouth. _What?! What did he say?!_

She jumped in front of the walking man, and poked him hard in the chest, causing him to back up a little. "No! I'm _mad_ because you were selfish enough not to even offer a woman a seat!"

The young man looked at her like she was insane. _Is she really making a big deal out of that? _"That is a very stupid thing to get furious over." Dr. Chase offered her a seat, and she had a chance to have one. Why his seat. Why not Ben's? "Ben was sitting down, too. Why not bark at him?"

Riley was acting too casual about the whole situation that it strongly made her want to hit him. She didn't want to think logically. _Why that-that little!! I-Argh!!! I can't even think! _Mary watched as the guy in the blazer descended the set of stairs before him. Oh, how she felt the enticing urge to push him. _Forget having him not hate me! I __**hate**__ him, now! _The brunette walked briskly behind the unsuspecting person, and raised her hands to push him…he was almost down the stairs anyway, so she wouldn't be committing murder.

Her hands, however met air, and she didn't even have time to register a look of shock on her face as she fell forward.

Riley moved to the side, because he swore there was a quarter on the ground. He goes by the rule that you can't leave something like that on the ground for someone else to take. He froze, though, when he heard a crowd of people shriek behind him. He wore a look of confusion until he felt something graze his shoulder. The young man turned his head to see a familiar brunette falling forward.

Without thinking, Riley grabbed one of Mary's flailing arms. He didn't have time, however, to grab the railing...

...So he fell forward, too...

_Oh crap…_

The two tumbled down the rest of the stairs, and landed with both of them grunting in pain. Though, Riley's was louder, since Mary fell right on top of him.

_Please tell me that did not just happen…_The brunette shakily moved her hair out of her face, and saw a familiar, ugly blazer. _Oh crap…_

"My back," the person underneath her moaned. His eyes shot open to reveal Mary on top of him. His face automatically turned beet red, and he quickly pushed the young woman off of him.

"Ouch!" she cried, and glared at him. "It's not like I wanted to be there!" The brunette shuddered at that thought

Riley ignored Mary, and got up, grunting with every aching bone in his body. _That's the last time I ever try to save her. _A random noise caught his ear, however. The computer looked up in surprise, and saw the whole crowd that had been on the stairs clapping for him. "What the…"

The younger Gates got up, too, and mourned the loss of one of her heels. She also heard the clapping, and looked up.

"Mommy!" a little kid exclaimed. "He saved her! That was so cool!"

Mary's eyes widened and whipped her head to look at the computer nerd who was currently looking down in embarrassment. _He did?! _All along she thought her falling frame had pushed him by accident. _He saved me?_

The mother looked at her child with a sparkle in her eyes. "Sweety, that's what people in love do."

"Ew…"

Riley's head shot up. "Woah!" He tried to correct the mother. "Th-that's not what happened…oh forget it." The woman was already out of hearing range. He brought a hand to his eyes, and slowly dragged it down his face. _She had to fall didn't she? _The young man narrowed his eyes and looked at the culprit. He did not expect her to be smiling like a maniac.

"You saved me?" She asked, looking at him in a whole new light. _Maybe he doesn't hate me! _She obviously forgot about her thoughts of trying to kill him moments before the incident.

He didn't like the way she was looking at him. It made him feel dizzy. "Stop it." He wished that the woman would just go back to her old self and start insulting him. He wasn't used to this coming from Ms. Beelzebub.

The brunette didn't stop smiling. She started to inch forward to the wierded out computer nerd. "Stop what?" she asked innocently.

"Stop smiling!" He started to back up and see if Ben came back. No such luck for Riley. He thought about making a run for it then, but he was bombarded with a pair of arms.

"You _do_ care!" Mary exclaimed as she latched herself on the unsuspecting person in her arms. She knew that was way too dramatic, but didn't care at the moment. Riley did something nice, and it was overwhelming. Plus, it was so much fun to see him squirm like that.

"Get off me!" Riley tried to get out of her death grip, but that came to no avail.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like you!"

"Why'd you save me then?"

"I couldn't let you fall!"

"That proves my point!"

"What point?!"

"Has Hell frozen over? Because, this is just too crazy for me," a familiar voice said behind them.

Riley whipped his head around to see a startled Ben, staring at them like they were an extinct species. His face turned even redder than what it was before, and he shoved Mary with all of his might away from him.

Mary laughed, heartily, and grinned towards the still-struck Ben. "He doesn't hate me, Benjamin!"

The computer nerd was definitely getting tired of the crazy woman, and he felt his blood boil to the point of self-combustion. "Yes, I do!"

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(whistles) Man, that was such a long chapter…at least for me! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Don't worry, about all of those people who love seeing Riley and Mary fight. There will be more arguing, because Riley tends to cause that sometimes…haha.

Please review!


	7. Advice Lies With The Godfather

I hope all of you had an awesome Christmas, and that it was full of nifty gifts and a lot of chocolate! Thank you to those of you that have reviewed! They make me very happy, and I hope I won't let you guys down with this chapter!

Here are some shout outs:

AColdSky: Thanks for reviewing! Haha, you gotta love Ben, which is why he is going to start meddling in the next chapter, muahahaha…

bunny94: I'm glad you liked it. Sorry about the parentals interrupting. I know the feeling.

Nelle07: Believe me…something romantic will come out of this! I just hope that it won't turn out being retarded.

lanmwolf: Aww, yeah. Mary may be starting see Riley in an endearing way, hehe. Thanks for the review!

Emma718: It might be towards the end when the intimate stuff appears, but enjoy the fun and tension that's coming up soon!

dial tone: I'm happy you love it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

tinkwings: I hope this chapter isn't devoid of humor for you!

Pampers Baby Dry: Don't worry about that! I saw it the first day it came out, haha! That scene was cute. I feel totally special to be in your favs! I hope I didn't let you down with this chapter!

Elizabeth-Argent: Wow, that line seems to be popular! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

R&R

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After Riley recovered from his embarrassment of the staircase incident, and finally getting Mary to shut up, the computer nerd was following a very depressed Ben Gates to the National Archives Rotunda.

"If it's any consolation, you had me convinced." The young man referred to the disaster conversation with one Dr. Abigail Chase.

"It's not," Ben stated flatly.

_Two guesses where he's going_, Mary thought as she followed behind the two men. She sprinted to Ben's side, though almost tripping because of the broken heel. "Look at the bright side." The brunette knew that she shouldn't say the next thing, but that was the only bright side she could think of. "You met a girl." She laughed nervously when no one else thought it was funny. _Okay…that was the wrong thing to say…_

Her brother gave her blank look. He knew his sister was just trying to cheer him up, but he just didn't have it in him to smile. Though…Dr. Chase was very attractive…

Mary decided she'd try again. _The guy needs to smile! _She glanced towards Riley, who was currently observing the Constitution from afar. The brunette grew a mischievous smile, and stalked towards the young man. "Also," she got Ben's attention again. "Riley and I are best buds!" She threw her arm around the computer nerd's shoulder, with the force almost knocking his glasses off.

Riley scowled. "Ben, please get your sibling off me before something violent happens-" He looked up and saw that Ben had walked away towards one of the displays. The young man scowled at his friend's departure and then turned around to get the brunette off of him…in what was likely to be a rude manner, but Mary slipped her arm off of him right before he opened his mouth. Riley noticed that her eyes were fixed right ahead of her, and she had lost all of the humor from her face. The computer nerd looked in the same direction as well, and noticed that she was looking at her brother with a hint of a sad expression.

_Is she alright…?_ Riley shook his head. _Yeah, right. Why would I ever ask her that?_He walked briskly ahead, though the young man did look back to make sure Mary was still with him. Riley caught up with Ben, and sighed because both of his roommates were now depressed.

"I was thinking," he said thoughtfully, though Ben was probably not paying attention. "What if we go public? Flash this story all over the internet. It's not like we have our reputations to worry about, although, I don't think that's exactly going to scare Ian away."

"Because Ian's just a _brave_ little soldier, isn't he?" Mary said scathingly, kicking the floor a little.

It was kind of weird for the computer savvy individual to her like that. Sure, he saw her at her worst in the Charlotte, but he still just couldn't picture that person being Mary Gates. He has seen her get mad, _plenty _of times, but it would be a rare day if the young woman smiled less than a dozen times…not that he cared…these were just things the young man happened to notice within the five months they have known each other.

Riley smirked. "Of course he's a brave little soldier…he has a gun." Sarcasm was laced in every word.

The brunette looked up, and actually smiled a little, though it went unnoticed by the speaker. One could always count on his comical sarcasm, and, boy, the young woman needed it with the state Ben was in. Mary glanced at her brother, who looked deep in thought while looking at the Declaration of Independence.

_It never ceases to amaze me_, the younger Gates thought as she looked at the revolutionary document. When the woman was in college going for her history major, she always loved hearing about the Second Continental Congress' act of independence from the British. It wasn't just some important even in American history. To Mary, the ratification of the Declaration of Independence was a heroic, pivotal moment that should deserve the upmost respect. In fact, she used to annoy her college friends to death when she would go on her soap boxes and get highly emotional when she spoke of the war-bringing act of the Thirteen Colonies.

The brunette gave a shaky breath, catching her brother's attention. Ben looked at Mary, and understood what she was feeling. He squeezed her shoulder, and received a confused look from his sister.

"What are we going to do?"

Ben looked back down at the Declaration, and stayed silent for a moment. "One-hundred and eighty years of searching, and we are three feet away…"

Riley walked closer to the display case, and the elder Gates turned to him. The computer nerd knew that look. _It's emotional history time. _Not that he minded. Riley wished he could be that passionate about something.

Ben continued. "Of all the ideas that became the United States, there is a line here that is at the heart of all the others… "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security…"… People don't talk that way anymore." He said that part mostly to himself.

Mary swore she would probably cry at that moment, but there were better times for a catharsis. It would be embarrassing if she had to be escorted out of the Rotunda if she was crying over a document.

"Beautiful…" she heard someone mutter. _That couldn't be…was that Riley?_ She looked at him, and indeed, it was him that whispered that statement the brunette thought she would never hear the computer nerd utter. _I ought to give him more cred-_

"No idea what you said."

_Nevermind…_ _Oh well, at least he appreciated it…unlike some people._

So, the young woman thought she'd help him out. "It means if something is wrong, those that have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action."

Riley looked at her._He's not going to yell at me is he…? _

"That actually sounds a little heroic."

Mary widened her eyes in surprise. No one had ever said that before besides herself. The brunette laughed, delighted. "That's what I think, too." _You see, if he was like this more often, we would get along just fine._

The computer nerd rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Mary. That's great." _But no, he opens his mouth and all is lost._

The young woman pursed her lips together in irritation and turned back to her brother who was still staring at the showcase. She frowned and lightly touched his arm. "Ben, are you alr-"

"I'm going to steal it."

She swore her heart stopped. No…her brother didn't just say that… "I'm sorry…What?"

Riley heard what Ben said, but just laughed at the incredulity of just that statement. He then noticed that his friend was being perfectly serious… "What?"

The elder Gates turned away from the case with a whole new look to him. He stood tall, and repeated what he said, only this time, with resoluteness.

"I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence."

And, with that said, Ben walked out of the Rotunda.

Mary and Riley just stood there with the word "shock" written all over their faces. Reality then hit the brunette, and she started run after her brother yelling his name…of course, causing every one to stare…Then again, the bystanders could have been staring at Riley since he was doing the same thing.

The two ran out of the building, and the young woman found Benjamin Gates who was walking like he was enjoying the weather. Mary quickly grabbed Riley's hand and dragged him along with her.

The computer nerd was expecting this contact. He started to get that same feeling he got when the brunette hugged him. The young man's head buzzed with uncertainty, and it was making him dizzy. Riley wished Mary would stop touching him since it affected him so. Thus, he ripped his hand out of her grip and shook his head to clear it. _I think Hell __**is**__ freezing over._

Mary felt the loss of the warmth in her hand, and she had to admit…she missed it…

_Wait…what?_

The younger Gates mentally kicked herself for thinking such thoughts, especially since they were about a person that would rather be ripped to shreds rather than talk to her, and _especially_ since her brother just said he was going to steal the Declaration of Independence.

_I need to sort out my priorities!_

"Ben!" she yelled again. He finally stopped in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The 16th President of the United States was, after all, Ben's favorite President. "Are you insane?! Have you finally lost-"

"I have never been saner in my life, Mary," her brother interrupted. He sat down on the steps leading up to the Doric columns. "I knew what I was saying, and I meant it."

Riley plopped down beside Ben, out of breath. "This is huge," he said simply. Going out to the Arctic Circle was pretty big, but this? This was unheard of…_Unless your name is Ian Howe._ He tried to get his friend to look at him. "Prison huge." When there was no reaction to that statement, he gave a shuddered sigh. "You are going to go to prison. You know that?"

The older man looked at his friend and sister. "Yeah, probably."

Riley nodded, knowing that he had lost all of the feeling from his face. "…That would…_bother_ most people…"

_Don't they understand? _"Look, Ian's going to try and steal it, and if he succeeds, he will destroy the Declaration. The fact of the matter is that the only way to protect the Declaration _is_ to steal it."

Mary put a hand to her forehead, and wanted to just scream at her idiot brother. But, she knelt down so she could look Ben in the eyes. "I don't want Ian to have the Declaration either, but if it causes you to go to jail? Then, _forget it_."

"I know, it's upside down," he explained to his worried sister. "But, I don't think there's a choice."

The brunette looked at Ben, and at that moment, she knew that he was in his right mind. They couldn't let Ian get his filthy hands on the document that gave their nation the hope of a chance to make something of themselves._But…anything could happen! Ian could show up, and everyone would get hurt, or the cops would show up at our front door, and we would all go to jail. _

Then, for some unknown reason to Mary Gates, a memory started to appear in her thoughts.

Flashback:

"_How could you not like __The Godfather__?" a shocked Riley asked a bored Mary as the young woman was putting the DVD back in its case. The three roommates got bored on a Saturday night, and both men voted for the mob movie._

_The brunette raised her eyebrows in annoyance. "It wasn't a very 'moralistic' movie…"_

_The computer nerd and Ben both just stared at her, shaking their heads._

"_I'm sorry," Riley said, sounding sardonic. "Next time we'll watch __Titanic__."_

"_Just drop it." But, of course, he wouldn't._

"_I'll have you know that the movie we watched tonight has a lot more moral fiber than your sappy romance films." He stood up, and looked at Ben for some guy support._

_Mary moved to the kitchen counter, picking up all of the dirty dishes along the way. She heard Riley make his statement when she got to the sink, and scoffed as she put all of the dishes in the basin. "Because killing people is a whole lot better than falling in love?"_

_The computer nerd moved to the opposite side of the counter so she was still facing him. He cocked an eyebrow. "No…I'm just saying that Roselyn…or whatever her name is-"_

"_Rose."_

"_Rose, whatever…Anyways. Michael Corleone wanted nothing to do with his family-"_

_Mary snorted. "For good reason. They were criminals!"_

"_Would you let me get to my point?" he said, clenching his teeth. Mary put up her soapy hands in defeat._

"_Thank you." He didn't sound very thankful. "Now, as I said before, Michael Corleone wanted nothing to do with his family. He ran his own life, and that's how he wanted it to be."_

_The brunette stopped cleaning the dishes, and was now paying her full attention to the young man standing before her. What is he trying to get at?_

"_But, in the end," Riley continued, using his hands for emphasis. "He comes back to the family to save his father's life." He stood there, looking very proud of himself._

_Mary, however, stood behind the counter looking confused. "I-er…I still don't understand. It's __**good**__ that he took over the mob?"_

_The young man slapped a hand to his forehead. "No…I'm talking about__** sacrifice**__! Michael **sacrificed** the life he had for his family!"_

"_I've never heard you sound so passionate Riley," Mary said, amused and surprised at the person standing before her. Though, she thought he made a very good point. She leaned across the counter. "So, you respect people that make sacrifices?" _

_Riley crossed his arms in defense. "Are you going to make fun of that, too?"_

"_Why would I?" The brunette shrugged and paid her attention back to the dishes. "I respect it, too. I think everyone should make a sacrifice for their family, a community, or a cause once in their lives."_

_The computer nerd, not expecting that to come from her mouth, stayed quiet for a moment...waiting for the woman to reveal her true intentions, but she kept keeping her attention focused on the sink._

_Riley looked back at Ben who just shrugged. He turned back to Mary, furrowing his eye brows. _

_The young woman laid some dishes out to dry and shook her hands letting water droplets hit Riley in the face. "Have you ever made a sacrifice, Riley?"  
_

_He looked startled at the random question, but he saw that she was being serious. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down. "N-not like that, no."_

_Mary simply nodded. "Me either." _

End Flashback:

Mary thought she would never receive advice from Riley Poole, but there it was…him talking about_ The Godfather_ and sacrifice. She needed to make a sacrifice for her family like Michael Corleone did for his, and if it meant stealing the Declaration of Independence…so be it. Moreover, it would also be for her country. She would be saving the document that was the root of the nation she was a part of. The younger Gates gave a quick glance towards the person from her memory, and actually gave a small grin. It seemed that he kept surprising her that day…in a good way.

The brunette then looked back up at her older brother with a different look in her eyes.

"I'm in."

Ben couldn't believe his sister said that, but an inexplicable happiness overcame him, and he just smiled. "Thanks Mary." He knew he wouldn't be able to do this by himself.

Riley, however, did a double take when that occurred. Both of his roommates were now insane! They couldn't do this!

"Guys!" He shouted, standing up from the stairs. The two people looked up at him, confused at his reaction. And, just because they were confused at his outburst made him even angrier. "For God's sake, it's like stealing a national monument. It's like stealing him!" He pointed to the twenty foot tall monument of Abraham Lincoln behind them to make his point.

Mary laughed, though a little nervous. "Believe us, Riley. We know."

The computer nerd ran a shaky hand through his hair. "You could've fooled me." He thought about the possibilities with doing a criminal act, but they all kept leading to jail…especially since the document they were talking about was in a highly secure facility. "It _can't_ be done. Not_ shouldn't _be done. It _can't_ be done!" He stalled a bit to find out what else he could say, and turned around. But, a glimpse of a familiar library in the distance gave him an idea. He looked back at Ben and Mary, and pointed his head towards the Library of Congress. "Let me prove it to you."

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"I _love_ this place," Mary said in awe as the three of them entered into the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. This wasn't her first time there, but the young woman never gets over the sight that greets her when she walks in. There was the Great Hall before her eyes. There was a rich feel to the marble floor below her feet, and then there was the beautiful stained glass above her.

"And, you call me a nerd." Riley walked beside her. He almost laughed when she looked like she was about to drool while looking up seventy-five feet towards the ceiling.

The brunette snapped out of her reverie, and looked at the person beside her. "This is worth being nerdish about. This is history."

The computer nerd nodded, but then smirked when a thought came to him. "Well…it's actually people copying history." He pointed to an archway to their right. "That looks exactly like Roman architecture."

Mary rolled her eyes. "And, the Romans were known for their originality…"

The young man scowled, and hunched over. "I was joking." This caused the woman to put on a face of mock surprise.

Mary put a hand over her heart. "With me, Riley? Surely you save your jokes for someone else."

"Well, well, well. Now look who's joking."

The brunette already felt her fists start to clench, foretelling another argument. Yet, she still held on to her grin that annoyed Riley so.

"I learn from the best."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Hey guys," Ben interrupted. He saw what the two people in front of him were about to do, so he took the moment to step in. "Remember the last time when we were at a library? Wait…what happened…? Oh yeah! You guys were banned for causing the domino effect with their book shelves."

Both culprits turned bright red, and immediately stopped looking at each other.

_He had to think of that…_they both thought at the same time, remembering that disaster.

The speaker had to smile. He always loved reminding them of that. _There are certain moments everyone needs to treasure…for later ammo… _Ben cleared his throat. "Well…why are we here, Riley? What do you want to show us?"

The computer nerd popped his head up, and his blush disappeared. "Right." He pointed his head towards the stairs in front of him. "Let's go to the main reading room." Riley started making his way towards the library's reception area, but he heard someone gasp behind him._Great, what now?_ He turned his head around to see Mary pointing wildly to her right, obviously excited.

"The Gutenberg Bible is in that corridor!!" She turned to Ben, who was chuckling at how quickly his sister went from acting like an adult to acting like a child who found a dollar. "Let's go look at it!"

Riley sighed, though it was one of the rare moments where he was amused with young woman's antics. "There will be other times to look at it."

Mary looked crestfallen. _He's right…dang it…_ "Fine," she pouted as she moved away from the corridor.

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After the whole business of getting everyone an identification card and requesting certain books from the Library's stacks, since they aren't open to the public, Mary and Ben sat down in the main reading room, waiting for Riley to tell them why they were there.

The young man was sorting through the many research materials that he requested. "Okay…" he muttered when he finally found everything he wanted from the books and papers laid out before him.

"Alright people, pay attention," he looked up to the waiting people sitting down. "I have brought you to the Library of Congress-"

"Really?" Mary looked around, without a doubt being sarcastic. "I thought we were back at the apartment."

"Quiet," he said simply, waving her comment off. "Now, why have I brought you here? Because it's the biggest library in the world. Over twenty-million books and they are all saying the same thing: Listen to Riley…"

_He always looks so proud of himself when he lecturing us. _Mary thought, rolling her eyes.

The young man started to pick up papers and put them in front of the two people's eyes. "What we have here, my friends-"

"I'm your friend? I didn't know you thought so highly of me." Sometimes the brunette just couldn't control what came out of her mouth. But, Ben nudged her, so she shut up. "Please continue," she said to a grimacing Riley.

The rudely interrupted man cleared his throat, still giving a look at the young woman before him. "As I was saying…what we have here, Ben, _Frau Blücher_…" The insulted scowled at her new name, though she didn't say anything. "…is an entire layout of the Archives. We've got builder's blueprints; we have construction orders, phone lines, water and sewage. It's _all_ here." He picked up a book that showed a photograph of the Declaration in its display case. "Now, when the Declaration is on display, it is surrounded by guards and video monitors, and little families from Iowa, and little kids on their eighth grade field trip-"

"That field trip was fun, too," Mary reminisced her old school days. Riley rolled his eyes. While he did this, however, he did not see Ben grab a book out of his pile.

"That's great," he said flatly, receiving a glare from the young woman. He smiled innocently, and pointed to the next page. "And, beneath an inch of bulletproof glass is an army of sensors and heat monitors that will go off if someone gets too close with a high fever." Riley turned to the next page. "Now, when it's not on display, it is lowered into a four-foot thick, concrete, _steel-plated vault_…" He then put the book down and took his glasses off. "…that happens to be equipped with an electronic combination lock and biometric access and denial systems." _Hopefully that got through to them…_

_I'm starting to see your point_, the brunette thought, starting to become sick, but she noticed her brother was looking at a book of his own. She was about to ask him what it was, but stopped when he looked up at the expectant Riley.

"Well?" the computer nerd said, waiting for a sane word to come from his friend's mouth, like: "You are so right, Riley; we can't steal the Declaration of Independence! That would be crazy and impossible. Thank you for enlightening us!"

Ben folded his arms on the table. "Did you know that Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 2,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton filament for the incandescent light bulb?"

Riley looked dejected at his answer. "Edison?"

_Sorry Riley, but there is way_, Ben thought before he continued. "…and when asked about it he said, "I didn't fail; I found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb," but he only needed to find one way to make it work." He brought the book he had been reading in front of the crestfallen Riley.

Mary craned her neck to see what was on the page. "The Preservation Room?" she asked, confused when she saw the bold words.

"The Preservation Room," Ben repeated. He waved his hands at the people looking at the book. "Enjoy. Go ahead. Do you guys know what the Preservation Room is for?"

His sister nodded while Riley made his own guess. "Delicious jams and jellies…?"

Mary snorted at that statement. "Nice," she said grinning.

"I thought it was." He gave her a strange look. _She thought it was funny?_

"But, unfortunately incorrect." She said, absentmindedly still reading the contents of the page.

"Of course," he sighed.

The younger Gates stopped crouching over the book and handed it to Riley. She knew what the Preservation Room was, but she didn't know what Ben was trying to get at. "That room is where they clean, repair, and maintain all the documents and storage housings when they aren't on display or in the vault."

Riley nodded in understanding. "Right…so what are you trying to say, Ben?"

"Okay. When the case needs work, like Mary just said, they take it out of the vault and into the Preservation Room. The best time for us, or Ian, to steal it would be during the Gala this weekend; when the guards are distracted by the V.I.P.'s upstairs. But…we'll make our way to the Preservation where there is much less security." He sat back in his chair, and waited for his friend to try and disprove him.

Riley just stared at him. _Where does he come up with this stuff? _He shoved his glassed back on, and snatched the book from Mary. His eyes searched for a flaw, any flaw, in what his friend just suggested.

But…it was a very good plan, and everything that he read that could possibly be an obstacle was quickly swatted away. _Nothing that a little trickery and a computer can't handle…_

Mary just stared at her brother. "Ben…sometimes I worry about what goes through your head…"

"But," he pointed out to his sister. "It's a good idea."

The brunette scoffed. "That doesn't mean it's not insane!"

The two heard Riley slam the book shut, and looked at him curiously. The young man sighed then sighed in defeat. "This might be possible." _Keyword is "might"…_

Ben rested his forehead against his hand.

"It might."

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Man, sorry about the late update. This was a hard chapter to write since not a lot happens in those scenes. But, still, I hope you guys enjoyed it. The next chapter will have a lot more in it, since it's the preparation for the Gala.

Maybe I'll update sooner with chapter 8, haha.

Please review!


	8. The Golden Rule

I must say that I love everyone that has reviewed! I actually feel like I can write! Huzzah! Thank you so much people.

So, I was watching Stardust for the first time the other day, and…it made me very happy. :) So, if you guys are ever in the mood for the an awesome girl movie…pick that one. Or, you know if you don't like girl movies…it has a lot of awesome British humor. Who wouldn't love that? The music was fantastic, as well.

Also, if anyone's a Transformer's fan, I saw the premier of the new animated series on Cartoon Network (I know, I know…geek alert, oh well, can't help it) and I thought it was amazing! Seriously, it may have been made for kids, but I liked it a lot!

Okay…enough with the babbling…sorry…

Alright, sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but this chapter was little harder to write than I expected. Hopefully I didn't leave you guys disappointed with this chapter.

Anyways, on to the shout-outs!

Dothead: I can't wait for you guys to see what happens between them. Thanks for the review!

AColdSky: Yes, confusion seems to be an epidemic in this story. I'm glad you like it!

daisyduke80: NT 2 was amazing wasn't it?! I can't decide which one I like better! I hope you like the update, and thanks for reviewing!

bunny94: Yeah, Riley needs to be nicer, and I think he starts to notice that. Mary is trying, it's just that Riley makes it kind of hard, haha.

dial tone: That line shall always go down in the hall of fame for me, as well. Happy you like the chapter! I hope you like this one, too!

Emma718: I hope things got interesting enough in this chapter for you, haha. Tension is God's gift in fan fiction.

yuki san1: Thank you for the review. And, thanks for liking the new character.

CressFish: Ah! I updated! Was it soon enough?! Haha, thanks for reading the story!

bookwork2011: I didn't know whether I should put in that connection or not. I was afraid it sounded retarded! Thanks for not thinking it was stupid.

Katie Aine: Thanks for the advice. Seriously, you have no idea how much I need it! I hope this chapter wasn't a let down.

lanmwolf: Okay, your review almost made me cry out of happiness! Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter immensely.

Nelle07: I'm so happy you are loving this, and I hope it will be awesome. Thanks for reviewing!

Now...on with the story!

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

"Okay," Mary said as she dropped her purse on the floor of the apartment. "The Gala is in two days…"

Riley checked his watch. "A day and a half, actually."

The woman just looked him, and then shook her head. "Thanks for being the glass half-full, Riley."

He shrugged, loosening his tie. "I'm just being realistic."

"Realistically pessimistic."

"Only towards you."

Ben sighed as he walked into the apartment as well. _Home sweet home…the lovely sound of two immature adults barking at each other just completes it. _But, he had better things to do at the moment.

"I think we should start preparing-"

"I swear!" Mary threw her hands up in the air, angrily. "Is there some sort of post-it-note on your brain that says "Never be nice to Mary Gates"?!"

_Of course, they're not listening…_Ben plopped down on the sofa, and just watched the two people acting like complete idiots.

"I don't listen to hypocrisy," Riley muttered, reaching for an apple on the counter.

"I'm a hypocrite," she repeated flatly. _Does he even know the meaning of the word?!_

"I'm glad we agree."

"You should really take a look in the mirror."

Riley put a hand to his ear out of ridicule. "Wait…I think I've heard this one before."

Mary covered her face with both of her hands, and took a deep breath. "I really don't get you sometimes," she started off quietly. "I do things that any normal person would consider to be generous, and then you act like they never happened!"

The young woman had no idea why she was getting all emotional at that point, but she was tired of all the attitude changes throughout that day.

Riley widened his eyes and looked at her incredulously. "That's because _you_ treat them like they never happened!" He couldn't believe she said that. She was nice sometimes, yes, but then the attitude disappeared!

"I _what_?!"

"Guys…" Ben tried to interrupt their heated argument, but to no avail.

"You heard me!"

"I was trying to be nice to you, but you just treated me like some lunatic!" She referred to the tie incident earlier.

"Guys-"

"Because I usually think that you would rather go _crazy_ than be considerate to me!_"_

"That's a _great_ way to think_-"_

"GUYS!" Ben yelled at the two murderous-looking people in front of him. They stopped, and looked at the interrupter begrudgingly

"This is ridiculous. How can you two actually think of fighting right now?!" He looked at both of them, like a scolding father. "The Gala is a day and a half from now, and I just need both of you to _shut up_."

Riley looked like he was going to blurt something out, but Ben just held up a hand. "No. That's enough. I have no idea what brought this wave of hatred over the both of you, but you guys are just going to have to get over it." He waited for them to say something, but they both just stuck to glaring holes in the ground, wishing the hole was the other. However, they didn't know that Ben was thinking of a mischievous plan at that moment.

There was a moment of awkward silence until the elder Gates broke it. "Okay," he started, getting Riley and Mary's attention. "I need some things from the store…"

The brunette nodded. She was always the one that went to the store anyways. "Tell me what you need, and I'll be back in a flash-"

"I'm not done yet," her brother interrupted. _She is going to hate me when I say this_… "I want Riley to go with you, and afterwards, you guys are going to hack the Archive's video monitors."

Mary blanched. "What…?"_Does he **want** me to be murdered?_

Riley stepped up, looking the same way. "Woah, woah, woah, Ben. She doesn't need me to go with her, and I _definitely_ do not need her with me."

"Right," she nodded, looking desperate.

Ben smirked. _There is no way you guys are getting out of this. You two are going to get along even if it kills you_. Though…the killing might actually occur… "Do you guys want this plan to work or not?"

"Yeah, but-"

"This can be an exception."

"No." Ben went to the kitchen, and got some stuff to make coffee. The day had been very long with the help of two certain people.

Mary hated her brother so much at that moment. She looked over at Riley distastefully. _An afternoon with Riley Poole…will there be bloodshed?_

The young man felt someone staring at him, and looked at his enemy, giving her the same expression of dislike.

"This is your entire fault."

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "You started it!"

"Yeah right-"

"Don't you guys have shopping and hacking to do?" Ben yelled from the kitchen, pointing to his watch.

Both young adults shot murderous looks at the speaker, and then started making their way to the door…it was more like stomping, actually…and then the whole apartment shook from the hard slamming of the door.

Ben sighed, and turned on the coffee maker. He was going to get an ear full that night. But, it was either: suffer from a migraine for the rest of his life, or actually get them to be civil to each other. Loud voices could be heard from down below, and he went to look out the window.

Yup, it was Riley and Mary..._probably putting the blame on the other for this **sad** occurrence. _

"This is a good idea," he started to repeat to himself over and over again.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Mary scowled, looking out her window the entire ride to the subway. Apparently, according to the _idiot driving the car_, the National Archives video cables were under the subway.

"I don't see why we couldn't go the store first." She crossed her arms, still refusing to look at the disgruntled driver.

"And I don't see why you are the meanest person alive," he snapped, making a right turn. They were almost there. _Why couldn't Ben have had a brother instead…he probably wouldn't have been this irritating…the only good aspect I can think concerning the witch is that she's pretty-_

Riley felt his heart skip a beat. He had no idea where that came from, and he did not like it. He became so obsessed with that disturbing thought that he didn't see the stop sign coming up ahead of him.

"Riley!" He heard a voice yell. The young man looked up and slammed on the brakes almost causing Mary to get whip-lash.

"What the heck is the matter with you?! The stop sign was right there!"

"Would you like to drive?" he snapped at the complainer. _How could I even think she was pretty? She's a freaking dragon! _He could even imagine her breathing flames, killing him with third-degree burns.

"Yes, I'd love to," she said simply.

Riley scowled at her indifference. "Too late, we're here." He pulled off to the side of road by the stairs that went down to the subway.

The two people got out of van and slammed their doors in sync. Mary decided to wait by her door since her side was closer to the stairwell…and if she saw him at that moment, the brunette swore she would punch his lights out. So tempting…

_That immature little…I can't even think of an insult I'm so mad!_ The woman was brought out of her thoughts by another sound of a slamming door, and looked up to find Riley waiting for her with a huge backpack, looking impatient.

"We don't have all day."

Mary imagined him combusting into flames at that moment…and what a grand moment it was.

She walked ahead of him, hoping that the glare she was giving him would accomplish that task, but no…Riley was still there, giving her an evil look of his own.

_I'm going to kill Ben_, they both thought as they descended the steps.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Once they hit the bottom of the stairwell, Mary waited for Riley to lead the way since she had absolutely no idea where the video cables were located. "Where to, Data?"

"Don't call me that, Elphaba."

"That doesn't help."

"You aren't helping either," he hissed as he started walking to the left, not caring if he left her behind. He sighed as he heard her feet scramble to catch up.

Riley then decided it would be better for the both of them if they just didn't talk. At all. He had said many things to the woman today…and he would care not to repeat them. In fact… as much as he hated to admit it…he felt slightly guilty about treating her the way that he did, today. The computer nerd knew she was trying to be nice, and he blew right back in her face. But, right when they all get back to the apartment_he_ starts up another fight. It makes no sense! _She's the one that usually starts all of the arguments! And, now I'm the jerk that does it! _

Riley started to wonder if he needed to see a shrink. There were too many different thoughts in his head…and most of them were about Mary Gates.

First, she was evil, trying to get him to wear that stupid tie. Then, she did a 180 degree turn on him and said that he didn't have to wear it…which was just random and weird and disconcerting. Next, she was back to her old self, and started to yell at him about a chair! And that of course led to the whole falling down the stairs incident…which was one of the more mind-boggling things to happen during the course of the day.

As the two were walking down the station towards the tunnel, Riley glanced at the seething woman by his side. She looked so happy when she found out that he tried to save her…well, anyone would be happy that someone saved them from falling to their death, but it was more along the fact that_he_ did the saving. It wasn't like he was going to let her fall to her doom.

He just didn't get her.

Maybe…just maybe…he could be nicer to her. The woman always seemed to receive it better than he did anyway. He remembered a few instances where that idea was true.

Flashback of Riley actually being nice to Mary:

_It was almost three in the morning, and it was one of those nights where the computer nerd could not get to sleep at all. So, he pulled his laptop in front of him and started to play solitaire which was so boring to him that he would definitely fall asleep. Before he could settle back into his pillow, however, he heard a really off note on the piano in the living room._

"_Somebody needs to learn how to play," Riley muttered to himself as he tried turning his attention back to his game. He played a little more, but was interrupted by the same terrible sound from the living room._

"_And obviously, that somebody doesn't realize it." The young man suffering from insomnia closed his laptop with an annoyed sigh, and crawled out of bed. He sluggishly went over to his door and opened it._

_Another out of tune note resounded throughout the apartment, causing Riley to wince. "Take the glitches out, and it would actually sound like __The Godfather__ theme." He walked quietly through the hallway until he hit the corner before the living room. He peeked into the open area towards the piano, and let his eyebrows lift when he saw who was sitting in front of the musical instrument._

_It was Mary. A very frustrated Mary._

"_Sound beautiful you __**stupid**__ instrument," she stated through clenched teeth as what was meant to be harmony resounded as disunity. The brunette threw her hands up in the air and put her elbow on the piano board. What a mistake. The sound made both people cringe._

"_Why in the world are you up at 3 A.M., trying to play the theme from a movie you didn't like?" Riley decided to make his presence known, though watching her was quite amusing._

_The woman jumped in her seat, and whipped around with her hand over her heart. She relaxed, however, when she saw who it was. Her startled look then changed to a look of confusion._

"_Why are you up, listening to me trying to play the theme from a movie I didn't like?"_

_Riley gave her a look. "It was kind of hard not to hear it."_

_Mary sighed. "I know... I have no idea how to play this thing! But, I figured since the theme sounded beautiful already, I couldn't mess it up." The brunette laughed a little at her own expense when she realized how silly that sounded._

_The young man then did something that surprised her. He laughed with her._

_Mary just sat there, looking at him while he laughed. It wasn't very often that he was amused by something she did. "So…you're not annoyed with me?"_

_Riley calmed himself down, and shrugged…though he was still grinning. He still had no idea either. Maybe it was because it was 3 A.M., and he hadn't slept at all for more than twenty-four hours. "Not everyone can play the piano."_

_The brunette liked the fact that they were having a normal conversation. It didn't happen very often, plus he was actually a very interesting person when he would chat with her without contempt. So, when those random moments appeared, she took those chances to get to know the real Riley Poole._

"_Can you play?" she asked, lightly touching the keys of the instrument._

"_Actually, yeah." His parents, when he was younger, loved music, so they of course had the boy take piano lessons. It was pretty fun for Riley, since he compared to the keyboard of his laptop to the keyboard of the instrument._

_Mary perked up out of interest, and moved to the end of the bench, patting the seat beside her. "Care to play something?"_

_The computer nerd surprised her again, by walking over to the open seat, and slid in front of the keyboard. He hadn't played in a while, but it was like riding a bike. Or, at least that's what the teacher told him. He set his long fingers over the keys, contemplating which piece he could play…_

_An idea hit him, though..._

"_How about I teach you how to play the theme instead? So the dogs out in the alley won't howl from torture." Hey, it was habit._

_But, the woman simply smirked, and put her hands on the keys, as well. "That sounds more beneficial."_

End Flashback:

The young man frowned, after that memory passed through his head. It seemed like a million years ago, and here the both of them were; loathing each other, and about to hack into the Archives' security video system. But, still…those moments were nice… because she was nice. _Because I was nice to her…so why can't I do it?! _

He glanced at Mary again. Her pale complexion was flushed from anger and her green eyes were as intense as ever. _She's actually very pretty when she's angry-_

Riley's heart froze again when he thought of that formidable word, but this time it was harder to deny it. He had no idea what was going on that day, but for some reason everything was changing.

Mary's eyes then snapped to his, causing him to almost jump from the surprise. "What? Am I not walking fast enough?"

_Yeah…definitely still wants to murder me…_

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

"Okay, where is it…?" Ben muttered to himself while he searched through a small, oak chest. After Mary and Riley left the apartment, the older Gates wondered if he still had 1789 inaugural campaign button. He knew he should have been finding a way to get himself in the Gala in the first place, but with Dr. Chase having the collection at their brief meeting, but he just wanted to see if he still had it.

The man's eyes brightened when he found the small, round artifact in the chest.

_Dr. Chase may not have liked me, but at least I have the 1789 inaugural. _His maturity level dropped a few points when he thought that. An accomplished sigh escaped his lips, and Ben put the campaign button on his dresser. Today's newspaper caught his eye, however…

_**The Da Vinci Code **_**Boosts Pen Flashlight Sales**

"Huh…" He stared at the headline, thoughtful. _I have one of those._ Ben's eyes moved to the small, black pen on his desk. He then looked back at the campaign button on the dresser. His eyes moved back and forth for a while until a light bulb lit in his head.

"Dr. Chase might be able to help after all."

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

_Okay…door number one…_Riley thought as he opened the first door that was right before the walkway in the tunnel slimmed down into a tiny sidewalk. He didn't see what he was looking for, and closed the door.

Mary sighed. They had been walking for a while. "How long until you find this room?"

The young man understood her impatience, for he was getting tired of searching empty rooms himself. "Hopefully, the next one will be the right one."

_He doesn't seem to be angry anymore_, the brunette looked at him thoughtfully. Since the two of them had been walking in silence for a while, her wrath had decreased, and she noticed that the computer nerd wasn't slouching with a grimace anymore. So, maybe their argument for the day finally ceased. _The rest of the day will go smoother._

Riley stepped onto the sidewalk and started to walk down the tunnel so he could find the right door.

_Door number two…_He opened the second door, and looked inside. The computer nerd sighed in relief when he found what he needed. He turned back to Mary. "Found it." Riley checked around him to make sure no guards were near by and there weren't, so he quickly opened the door and stepped inside. The woman behind him came in sync, and shut the door.

"Right." The brunette clapped her hands together. "What do we do now?"

The man smirked. "You look so ready to commit an illegal act." He reached into his backpack and got out a small drill.

Happy that he was being civil, Mary smiled and tapped her watch. "No time like the present!"

Riley nodded, amused, and handed her the drill. "I need you to drill a small hole in that pipe, and don't hit the wires."

The person holding the drill looked at it like it a foreign object that was placed in her hands. "Right…how do I turn it on?"

The computer nerd cocked a brow. "You press the button that says 'On'."

The woman laughed nervously, and started to rub the back of her neck. "Well, you never know…the makers might have made a mistake." _That was lame…_

"Stop making excuses and start drilling," Riley said, though still entertained. He dug back into his backpack and pulled out his laptop, a fiber-optic cable, and some sort of wireless device. He sat on an old box close to the pipe, and began to set everything up: laptop on the lap, cable by his feet, and connected the device to his laptop.

In a better mood because of positive atmosphere, Mary did as she was told. She turned the drill on, and pointed it towards the pipe. It took a moment to get the job done, but in the end there was a small hole in the middle of the pipe. The woman started clearing away the excess dust with her fingers. She glanced over at Riley, and she noticed that he seemed to be a bit professional at setting everything up.

The brunette cleared her throat. "Have you done this before?"

The computer nerd still had his eyes fixed on his laptop, but he answered her. "No, I just know how to do it." He picked the cable by his feet up and handed it to Mary. "Alright. Do you know what to do with that?"

The woman just looked at him and snorted. "Why even ask? Of course I don't." _I know about as much about this stuff as I do foreign languages…which isn't a lot…_Back in college, she had to take a modern foreign language for her history degree. There was never a time when the young Gates knew what her professor was saying. Unless, the French said "blah, blah, blah" all the time. _I doubt that._

"Because it's nice to hear you Gates' say 'I don't know' once in a while." Riley beamed at his remark in his head. But, his face went red when he looked up to a mischievous-looking Mary. "What…?"

"You think I'm smart." She was still grinning.

The young man looked back at his laptop in an instant. _I'm being nice to her, so why am I getting embarrassed?! _"Just put the cable in the pipe, and keep pushing it up until I say 'stop'."

The woman frowned at the guy's reaction. Was it really that embarrassing to compliment her? But, she did what she was told. She noticed that Riley had the cable connected to the joystick in his hand. He then told her to stop, and Mary did as she was told.

The young man gazed intently upon the screen before him that displayed the fiber optic cable in the pipe. There were several connections in a row, but he needed the Preservation Room's video. _Where are you…? _His bespectacled eyes then found the right one, and he connected the cable to the video wiring. The image of the interior of the pipe automatically changed to that of the Preservation Room.

"And we are in…" he said absentmindedly.

"You own video?" Mary asked, interested. She knelt down beside him and looked at what was on the screen. _Yup…that's it._ "What do we have to do now?" She looked up, and actually was surprised at how close she was to the man. Her face went red, and she tried inching away, but her legs got tangled and she fell backwards, hitting her head on the pipe.

Riley snapped his head to his right to see Mary lying on the ground, rubbing the back of her head. "What the heck happened to you?" _She was fine a second ago!_

"I'm alright, thanks for caring," she muttered, though she was still abashed from the proximity from before.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he walked over to where she was. "You look kind of flustered…"

That comment just made her face turn even more red. She laughed it off, though she refused to look at him. "No, I'm not." She couldn't let him know that she fell down because she was nervous about being close to him, even though she considered him just a friend…

"Well, your face just turned to the color of a cherry," he pointed out. _What's her problem?_

"It always looks like that."

"What are you talking about? You are the _palest_ person alive."

"Shut up!"

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Yet again, sorry about the late update. But, I do hope everyone had an awesome holiday.

Hope you guys enjoyed, and I am definitely going to put the Gala in the next chapter. Let the action begin folks!

Please review!


	9. Mr Brightside

Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update, but school seems to get harder as the semester passes by. But, I'm back, and I hope you guys like the chapter!

Now, time for some shout outs!

Pampers Baby Dry: Well, thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter!

bunny94: Sorry this wasn't asap, but I hope you like it.

VampCressFish: Aw, thanks! I really appreciate the compliment, and thanks for reviewing!

bookworm2011: Yeah, it's nice that they are actually getting on a little bit better. And, I'm happy you liked the Wicked reference, even if it was an insult on Riley's part, haha.

iheartinuyasha169: Awesome! You like the story! I hope you liked this chapter, even if it was delayed.

Nelle07: Haha, I laughed the whole time I was writing that part. But, one has to always enjoy those awkward moments. Thanks for reviewing!

Emma718: I think anyone would go through that if they were that close to Riley! Haha, thanks for reading, and sorry for the wait.

daisyduke80: Can anyone decide? Goodness, there's the first one where you actually get introduced to Riley, and then the second one where there's a lot more Riley! Choices! Haha, I'm a retard, but I'm glad you like the story so far!

tinkwings: Well, there are a few more laughs in this chapter. I always find humor makes everything better.

yuki san1: Yeah, it was a reference to Wicked. Why Riley knows this, I have no idea…But, I have the book too! It was very different from the musical, haha. Very different. Thanks for the review!

dial tone: I know, wasn't it sickeningly cute? I usually feel so awkward writing cute moments since I always laugh at them, but oh well. The irony! I'm glad you liked it.

Songorita: Ah! Sorry for the late update, but I'm glad you like the story.

Emma: Aw, thanks! I really appreciate it. Sorry if this wasn't a fast update…

mogi93: I'm happy you like the story! And, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Maryr: That's so cool! Well, I hope you're not too addicted…especially with my terrible update patterns…but, hey, if people can connect with my OC, then that is awesome! I hope you keep reading!

lanmwolf: Hey, that's cool. It took a long time for me to update, so I guess we're even, haha. Yeah, Riley has to be confused about this…it just seems like him, doesn't it? Plus, it's more fun this way. Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

emma: I don't know if I could handle Riley having a love interest! I might become overly jealous! I know…total hypocrisy since I'm writing a romance involving Riley, but oh well. And, sorry about the late update!!

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

"Just do it Ben."

"This is harder than it looks, you know."

"Not harder than hacking into the Archives video mainframe-"

"This is different Riley."

The current predicament that faced Ben Gates was a new one to the treasure-protector. Well, he had been in the same situation before, but every time it felt like a part of him was leaving.

"Just mail the stupid box to the mean Declaration lady," Riley muttered, tired of standing by the main desk at the National Archives. It was almost noon, and his friend kept stalling from giving the stupid campaign button to the secretary to give to Dr. Chase.

"Wow, thanks Riley," Mary said sarcastically. She turned towards her brother again, ignoring the impatient computer nerd. "I'm sure that a person like Dr. Chase wouldn't be able to accept such a nice gift, and you'll get it back at the Gala tonight."

Ben knew he was being an immature child, but when it came to historic items of great patriotic value…it was hard to let go…

"But…it's my only one."

Mary was really surprised at how childish her older brother could be sometimes, but when comes to the moments where he has that boyish pout; she really had a hard time not having sympathy for him. However, since Dr. Chase getting the present was imperative for tonight, there was no choice but to ignore it.

"Ben, just leave the gift on the counter. There are people waiting behind us." She glanced apologetically at the annoyed people waiting in line behind them.

But, before the elder Gates could even do anything, the secretary reached her arm up and plucked the small, red box out of his hands, and put it behind the desk.

"Hey-"

"Sir," the secretary looked up…and Riley swore he saw her eyes turned red for a moment. "I'm sure Dr. Abigail Chase will appreciate the gift, now if you please…" she nodded towards the people behind them "…there are other people who come to the National Archives, too. Have a nice day."

Ben knew the moments when nothing needed to be said, and that was one of them. So, he nodded politely, and left with Riley and Mary…though…he was still upset over parting with his 1789 inaugural campaign button.

"Geez, Ben," Riley muttered, seeing how torn his friend was over that small object. The actual name always seemed to escape him…or it could be every time Ben or Mary started going through an outrageous history phase, he would innocently turn his attention elsewhere. "You want me to buy you a pint of Ben and Jerry's for your stress-eating?"

"I don't stress eat," Ben said quickly, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. This a trying moment for him, and his friend was making fun.

Mary almost had to snort at that. Oh, the memories she has of her older brother being upset and chowing down on all of the contents inside their fridge.

Riley saw the brunette's hand go straight to her mouth after Ben made that statement. His guess was that her thoughts were probably along the same lines as his at that moment. _Ben obviously has a selective memory right now._

Riley and Mary's flashback:

"_Alright, Ben," Mary began…maybe a tad bit over dramatic. _

_It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and the three roommates decided that it was time they sat down and spent some quality company with each other. Riley Poole had just moved in a month ago, and so far, the three were always off their own separate ways working on finding the Charlotte. But, luckily it was raining like there was no tomorrow outside, so Mary brought up the idea of Trivial Pursuit. At first, the two men were unsure if that's how they wanted to spend their time, but when the brunette threw the idea of homemade pizza, they changed their minds rather quickly._

_It was the last question, and this one would either make or break either Riley or Ben. Surprising, to Mary at least, Riley was very good at the board game. And, her brother did not find this revelation to be that great. He always won at this game._

_The young woman finally read the Trivial Pursuit question card after her dramatic pause. "Who was the first leader of the Soviet Union's Communist Party born after the Russian Revolution?"_

_Ben smiled in triumph. 'That's easy.' He set his plate of pizza down. "I believe the correct answer is: The Bolsheviks."_

"_I'm sorry, that's incorrect." Mary looked up in shock. She never thought she would ever say that to her big brother…who basically was an all-knower of history. At least he got the political party right. The brunette looked to Riley, who at the moment, looked like he was going to break out the champagne. 'Does he know who it is?' _

_Oh, Riley knew who it was. But…he was definitely going to savor that moment. He looked at the extremely crestfallen Ben, maybe with a little deviousness in his eyes. "You get the answer wrong, Ben?" That sounded a bit too innocent for the older Gates' taste…_

"_Apparently, Riley." He hated it when his friend did this. He didn't have the chance to do it often so far, but, oh, he did NOT like it when he did._

_The computer nerd gave a mock-sympathetic sigh. "Gee…that's too bad…"_

'_Men and their stupid arrogance.' Mary rolled her eyes at the two men who were acting like boys._

"_I'm guessing you know what the answer is, then?"_

"_I don't know…I might get it wrong…like you-"_

"_Shut up and answer the stupid question, Riley." Mary wanted the game to end before the next century._

"_**Alright**__." Riley was annoyed that his thunder was interrupted, but, oh well. 'Time to sound smart.' "I believe that the __**right**__ answer is Vladimir Lenin." _

_The brunette looked apologetically over at her brother, who had already finished his pizza. "Riley wins."_

"_What can I say?" Riley leaned back very content against the bottom of the couch. "I'm a genius."_

_Mary started to put the pieces of board game away, but not without thinking she needed to prick the nerd's ego with something sharp so it would deflate. Everything was in the box except for that last question card. 'Maybe Riley has it…'_

_She shuffled around on the floor to face the young man, but when she saw his face she expected to see a look of smugness, but instead she saw a look of disgust…_

"_Riley, what are you…?" _

_The computer nerd interrupted her, "You should probably tell your brother to at least save me one slice."_

_The young woman cocked an eyebrow, but she turned around nevertheless to see what Riley was so disgusted at. Unfortunately, she turned around just in time to see Ben eat a slice of pizza in two bites…and then he went for another one…_

_Riley had never seen anyone eat like that, even HE doesn't eat like that. 'If this is what happens when Ben loses…I'll just let him win from now on."_

_The nerd saw the woman in front of him, shake her head and sigh._

"_He's being an emotional eater again."_

_There was a short silence between the two as they watched Ben eat the entire pizza within five minutes. _

_Riley broke the silence. "I didn't know grown men could be emotional eaters."_

_The brunette chuckled at how shocked the young man was. She got up and sat down by him, knowing that this was one of the times where it was okay for them to be in close contact without fighting._

_The two continued on watching the grown man search for more food._

"_Hey, Mary? Where's your pint?" Ben called out from the refrigerator._

"_You are NOT eating my pint!"_

End of Riley and Mary's flashback:

Mary couldn't help it. She snorted. _Oh, the memories._

Ben shot her a look. "What's so funny?"

"Oh," she lightly punched her brother in the arm, and gave him an innocent look. "Nothing."

The three exited the building without much chatter, and started to descend the stairs towards the van.

Riley got to the vehicle first, and opened the door. "So, the big night's tonight huh?" He got into the back part where all of his equipment was already set up. He saw Mary open the door to the passenger's side. "I've got your backs, so no need to fear."

The young woman gave him a strange look. "Who said I was scared?" She closed the door back and stood on the side of the road tapping her foot while waiting for Riley's answer.

The bespectacled man laughed while messing with his laptop a little before they drove off. "I was actually reassuring myself." _That made no sense._

Mary cocked her head to the side, still giving him a look, though, it was softened. "Why reassure yourself that you got our backs?"

"Since when have I ever made sense?" He asked closing his computer and putting it aside. He had no idea why they were having a conversation like this, but Ben was off buying food from a magazine stand, so they had time to kill.

The brunette walked up to the side of the van and leaned against it, smiling. "Well, you make more sense than some people." She turned her head and looked at him. "That's good isn't it?"

Riley lifted his eyebrows. "Are you trying to make me feel better?"

Mary scoffed. _He would say that. _"Yes, I am. I'm sorry; I'll never do it again."

"Why?" he asked. Not really thinking, since his attention was to the monitors around the interior of the van. "You're doing a good job."

The young woman was not expecting that to come out of his mouth. Sure, they were getting along a lot better the past few days, but that statement really meant a lot to her. She had been trying to be his friend ever since he showed up at the apartment, and it always ended up in disaster. But…now…he was actually trying, too.

Feeling very proud and happy at the same time, she turned towards her new friend and smiled, though the nerd's attention was more focused on the technology than her sappy girl moment. _Oh, who cares. He's a guy. _

"I will do it more often then," she said softly. She wasn't expecting her face to heat up, though. She blamed it on stress.

Riley definitely paid attention to that. The only problem was… that he was tongue tied. During the past few months, he had never heard Mary speak like that to him before…heck, no girl had ever said anything like that to him before.

So, he stuck with the only word that could possibly come out of his mouth.

"Ok."

And both were content.

"Mary?" A familiar voice interrupted the two, however. "Mary Gates?"

_I know that voice…_The brunette snapped out of her reverie and whipped her head back to the sidewalk. She then saw someone she definitely had not seen in a while.

Her blue eyes widened, and before she could stop herself, she let out the most girlish squeal ever made.

"RYAN! Oh my gosh!" She ran away from the van, leaving a very confused Riley sitting by himself. _What in the world? _He looked ahead, and basically saw Mary jump on a guy he had never seen before in his life. _Who is that?_ He was dressed professionally, had blonde hair…yeah, he was your basic Abercrombie model. Those people made Riley sick.

_So, why is she so happy to see him? _

"I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed, finally letting go of the man, who was very amused at her.

"I know," he said, still having a perfect smile plastered on his face. "How have you been? It's been what? Two years?"

The young man in the vehicle could hear them perfectly. He had no idea why he was listening in on their conversation, but this guy was new to him. He had never seen Mary with another man besides him and Ben, so that was just weird…and confusing. And, for some reason, the computer nerd found this 'Ryan' to be the most annoying guy on the planet.

Ben finally came back to the car with a large sandwich and some fries. He got in the driving seat, and was about to turn the car on, but noticed that his sister was missing. He looked at Riley and noticed him throwing a glare towards the building. Raising an eyebrow, he looked towards the same direction, and saw Mary talking lively with another man. _Is that who I think it is?_

"Is that Ryan Mowrer?" _I haven't seen him in a while._

"I know, isn't he annoying?" Riley couldn't help himself, but those two were standing way too close to one another. He then saw Mary slap the guy playfully on the arm. Yeah, he wished he could hit him too…maybe in the face with his fist.

Ben cocked an eyebrow and looked back at the moody individual. _What's his problem?_

But, he might as well give his friend a little background information. "Well, even if he was annoying, I couldn't say it to his face. He's one of the richest men in the District of Columbia."

That did not help Riley's attitude. But, after a while, he realized that he was actually acting like he was jealous. He shook his head and shuffled around in the van, so he wasn't facing the 'happy couple.' _What in the world was that about? _Why should he care who Mary Gates hangs out with? Sure, the other day hanging out with her was fun, and she wasn't as annoying as he thought, but still…_Let her do what she wants._

The older Gates really wanted to know why his friend acted like he cared so much, so he continued on talking. It wasn't everyday that Riley Poole acted jealous because of his sister. _Though…they aren't fighting as much anymore._ In fact, he remembered the other day when they both got back from the subway station and the store. They were actually acting like normal acquaintances.

"Ryan asked her out on a few times a couple of years ago, but I guess it never worked out." He turned back towards the steering wheel, though he kept his eye on the rear view mirror.

The computer nerd frowned. "She never mentioned him."

Ben laughed. "Well, you guys weren't exactly the best of friends."

_Stupid Ben and his common sense. _Yeah, that was the truth. Mary and he never got along until just a few days ago. Speaking of which, _why do we get along now? Nothing's changed. No one has said anything. _He was brought out of his thoughts by a loud laugh. Ryan threw his head back, obviously laughing at something the young woman before him said.

"What an idiot," he muttered, getting his laptop and opening it. After Ryan the Barrel of Laughs opened his trap, he really didn't care how childish he was being.

Ben could not believe his best friend was acting that way. This was _very _new to him. _What if?_ He thought to himself, smiling lightly as Riley gave evil looks to Mary and Ryan. He couldn't help himself when he blurted out his next statement.

"Are you jealous, Riley?"

The said person froze up. His face immediately turned bright red. He quickly shook out of his trance, and glared at Ben. _I am not jealous. What is Ben on?_

"I'm not jealous." The young man bit out, maybe too harshly towards his friend. "I just think she could do better."

Ben gave him a skeptical look. "You think she could do better than the richest bachelor in this region?"

The computer nerd crossed his arms, ignoring the rising heat in his face. "That's not what I meant."

"Well," Ben knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but if (and Riley probably was) he was jealous; this meant a very interesting future, "What's wrong with him then? He's rich, a nice guy, he has a sense of humor, and Mary did tell me that she liked him when she went out with him."

The elder Gates noticed that his friend was now basically punching on the keys of his laptop. "Does it look like I care, Ben?"

_Um…yeah. _But, this time, Ben kept this opinion to himself. "Obviously not." The two men sat in silence until a laughing Mary opened the door and plopped herself into the passenger's seat.

_Great, now she's happy._ Riley pretended that he didn't notice her get in the van. His mind was messed up enough anyway.

"Sorry if I kept you," she apologized as she buckled her seat belt.

Ben with a mouthful of his sandwich managed to get out, " 's no problem."

She laughed at her brother. "You really need to get that emotional eating under control Benjamin."

The older man glared at his little sister. "It's not emotional eating!" As he yelled this, however, food sprayed all over Mary's face.

"Ugh, gross!" She hit Ben in the arm while wiping the crumbs off her face. While she was doing this she remembered that she had something important that she had to tell the two men in the van. "Oh! How could I almost forget?!"

Riley rolled his eyes, but he was listening.

"I'm going to be able to go into the Gala tonight!" she exclaimed. When she noticed the confused looks on the two men, she sighed and explained further. "Ryan was invited for his HUGE donation, and he didn't have anyone to go with. But, he ran into me today, so he asked me to go with him!" _I can finally do something productive tonight instead of just waiting in a van. _

Ben almost spit out his sandwich. "That's great!" He could most likely do it without inside assistance, but with Mary there, it did make him feel more assured.

The sound of Riley snapping his laptop shut made the brunette jump. "You can't do that," he said, obviously ticked off.

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Why not? Ben now has two people watching his back from different locations." _Sounds like a good idea to me._

"You can't be the other person if you are distracted by your _date_." He knew he was being mean, but if he didn't vent the feeling inside of his chest would make him explode. _Why would she agree to go out with that idiot? _

Ben thought it was a good time to start the vehicle when he saw his sister's eyes narrow.

"Oh yeah," she said sardonically. "Because you know that tonight's plan means absolutely nothing to me when it comes to men!"

The young man raised his hands. "You were the one who said 'yes' to Mr. Abercrombie."

"What in the world does that mean?" A couple of minutes ago, the guy was acting like a normal person, now he's acting like she did the worst thing in the world!

Riley busied himself with the wiring around him. "You know what it means," he muttered, still trying to get rid of the pressure going on in his chest. _What the heck is wrong with me?_

"You little-"

"Considering that tonight is happening in a few hours, I think it would be best if no talking occurred_ at all_." Ben decided it was a good time to interrupt. Riley was jealous, and now he was taking it out on the girl. _And acting like a moron._ Having Mary on the inside tonight was definitely a plus, but if Riley didn't get straightened out, things were going to go downhill.

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"Who does he think he is?" Mary asked herself as she started changing, obviously very angry with a certain computer nerd. "One moment, he's my friend…then he's treating me like his enemy!" She stomped over to her closet and pulled the door open, letting it hit the wall.

The young woman thought it was a good idea to accept Ryan's invitation. It gave her the chance to keep and eye on her brother without waiting inside the van, watching helplessly. The brunette scoffed. "Like Riley even cares." _He probably just wanted to let his __**technology**__ do all the work!_ "Selfish jerk."

She took a quick glance at the clock and noticed she only had an hour. She groaned at the lack of time. There wasn't anytime for her to take a shower.

"Everything's just going my way," she told herself, laughing sarcastically as she scanned her closet for something suitable to wear. It wasn't like she went to a Gala every night. In fact, the only nice dress she had was from her senior prom…which was almost a decade ago…

Mary almost laughed at the thought of wearing that old thing, but she decided to try it on anyway.

"I have to find it first," she said, amused at the state of her closet. Mummies have probably seen better accommodations.

After basically taking everything out of her closet, the young woman found the dress. It was a sapphire blue, satin gown with a ruched waist and a side draping creating an asymmetrical skirt. Not bad for the nineties…

"Okay," she sighed. "Got the dress."

As she was putting the gown on, Mary had so many thoughts running through her head, and individual reading her mind probably would think she would unconscious.

_Who needs Riley. If he's going to be a jerk, then he can just forget speaking to me ever again! _

_Okay, maybe that's a little too extreme…he can be a great guy…sometimes…_

"Argh!" she yelled at herself. "Why does he make me so crazy?!"

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Mary had just put her hair in a loose bun when there was a soft knock on her door.

"Who is it?" If it was Riley, she didn't know if she could restrain herself from beating him to a pulp.

"It's Ben."

The young woman had to admit that was disappointed. Riley needed to be punched in the face.

"Come in." Her brother entered the room.

Once Ben saw his sister, he smiled. Ah, yes, the lovely sibling moments…

"Didn't you wear that dress to prom?" he asked, amused.

The brunette smirked as she put in some earrings. "No, this is the dress you wore to prom."

"Ouch," he laughed. But, his smile faded. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Considering I only have to stay in the Gala area for the most part, I'd say I'm good."

"I figured you would be okay." But there was still the issue of a certain individual.

Mary nodded, knowing what Ben really had on his mind. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with Riley, but I can promise you that him having a problem with me for _whatever_ reason is not going to bother me at all."

"So, I guess you slamming every single door in the apartment was your way of showing it didn't bother you," Ben replied skeptically, eyeing a dent made in Mary's wall.

The young woman sighed in defeat. "Okay, it bothers me a little bit." She groaned and put her head in her hands. "What did I do? One minute I'm trying to make him feel better about tonight and then he pulls a 180 degree turn on me!"

The elder Gates looked at his sister sympathetically. He knew Riley was jealous, but should he tell her? He knew he should, but that would only make her even more confused, and it would distract her from the coming night. He hated himself for it, but it was for the best. _I'll tell her when this is all over. _"I don't know what's wrong with him. But, since when has Riley ever made any sense?"

Remembering a certain conversation from earlier, she had to smile just a little. "He makes more sense than some people," she mumbled under her breath.

Ben didn't hear that bit while he looked at the clock. It was time to go.

He sighed as he got up. "Time to get this show on the road. Riley's already in the van, and he told me to give you your ear piece." He offered the small device to his sister which she took as he got up. He took one more look at her as he was about to exit the apartment.

"I think Mr. Poole will feel very bad for being the way he was once he sees you." Ben opened the door.

Mary laughed mockingly. "Yeah, in a decade-old dress plus blue converse for shoes." She searched forever for some decent shoes, but the brunette couldn't find any, so she stuck with the only thing that could possibly go with the dress.

"I'm going to edit out the converse part," her brother laughed. "But, even though tonight is really a heist, you look good for it."

_Aw, shucks Ben._ She could always count her brother to say the right thing. But, time was passing, and they needed a lot of it. "Well, you guys better get going. Ryan's going to be here any minute."

And, with that, the plan started to roll in motion.

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Muahaha! Jealousy! You've got to love it.


	10. The Gala, pt 1

Okay guys, SCHOOL IS OVER!! YES! Finals were a nightmare, and that's why I had not updated in forever. But, it's over for the summer, so I shall have more free time to finish this story!

Anyways, sorry for the wait. I'd hate me if I took so long, but I refuse to stop writing this! I have grand plans towards the end, plus, there's Book of Secrets that I should get started on when it comes out on DVD. I just have to get to the end of this one first…anyways…

No time to waste! On to the Gala!

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_Just pretend it's just another night…totally normal._ Riley kept telling himself that as he drove the van towards the National Archives. He tried not to think about the impending plan, but it was either that, or thinking about Mary going on a date with Mr. Perfect. _Yet again, why should I care?_ He decided that it was just best to get stressed out over the heist.

Ben remained silent throughout the drive, the computer nerd noticed. Usually when Ben didn't say anything, it meant something was bothering him. _Maybe this whole thing is a mistake…_Of course, he always thought this whole idea was beyond belief, but there they were, about to commit a serious crime.

He stopped the van across from the building as was planned, and could already feel his mouth going dry. Ben was already out of the car, and Riley took that as the sign to get in the back of the van and start setting everything up. He did so, and opened the door once more. He had to make sure that his friend was absolutely up for this, because after he left the van, everything was to go in motion.

"Ben," he started, completely serious. "Are you _sure_ that we should do th-"

But, Ben decided it was best to shut the door before his friend could finish his statement.

_Jerk…_

"Well, I guess that's a 'yes' then," he muttered. He put his head piece on, and right as he turned it on, Ben's voice crackled through.

"Riley, can you hear me?"

"Unfortunately yeah," he bit out. Yeah, it was rude, but Ben did slam the door on him while he was talking. _Alright, on with the show._ He kept an ear on what his friend was doing, but he was also waiting for Mary to check in.

_She's probably too into Lyon, or Brian, or whatever his name is._ Riley then spent the next couple of moments thinking about the possibilities of a fist being brought into contact with a face.

_Unlimited possibilities…_

"Riley."

_He wouldn't be so tough, then, would he?_

"Riley Poole…"

_And, then I wouldn't have to sit here and think about her going OUT with him!_

"RILEY!"

"What?!" the computer nerd yelled back into the microphone. The fact that whoever interrupted his thoughts greatly upset him.

"Look who's finally paying attention." It was Mary, and she sounded pretty annoyed…or maybe it had to do with who she was trying to get in contact with. _Just remember_, she told herself as she entered the building with Ryan who was smiling and waving to everyone else. _Forget that he's a jerk and be professional…Be professional Mary._

Riley frowned at the voice. "No," he said lazily. "I just didn't think you would bother to show up."

Making sure that Ryan was still busy greeting people, the brunette then whispered, "Yeah…because tonight doesn't matter to me at all."

The computer nerd rolled his eyes. "Or, just not your first priority."

Mary saw Ryan coming back towards her, so she smiled and waved at him. She then said through clenched teeth, though still smiling. "I'm not paying attention to you anymore, you insignificant nerd- Ryan, hi!" The brunette quickly changed tones when the handsome man was by her side.

"I really appreciate you being my date tonight," he said, offering her his arm.

The younger Gates blushed and took his arm. She was definitely not used to having men pay attention to her. Ever since she was born, it had always been the men in her family around her, but then there was Riley…which really didn't mean anything to her at the moment. In fact, other than Riley, Ryan was the only other guy to interact with her who was not a relative.

She smiled. "Well, I appreciate you asking me." Okay, so she went with him under convenience for the Gala, but still, Mary could have been stuck in the van with Riley the whole night. The thought made her shudder. There definitely would have been violence.

"I should have brought tissues for this romance movie," she heard the voice in her ear scoff.

"Shut up," the brunette muttered. _I don't know if I can deal with him in my head for tonight…_

"Excuse me?" Ryan asked while turning towards her with a raised eyebrow.

_Crap…_

"Oh!" Mary laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Nothing. I-I was just talking to myself…" She then had trouble keeping her smile on because of a certain someone laughing their butt off in her ear.

_He's dead._

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"Riley…why are you laughing?" Ben asked as he entered the bathroom. _I must have missed something…_

The young man just sighed in content and leaned back. "I'm just enjoying the simple pleasures in life, Ben."

The older Gates looked skeptically in the mirror and rolled his eyes.

"Don't torture her too much tonight," Ben sighed as he straightened his bow tie. "Because, I don't want to hear death threats in my ear the entire time I'm stealing an important historical document." The last thing he needed was to hear Mary and Riley yelling at each other over idiotic reasons.

"I'm not torturing her," Riley said innocently.

"Yes, you are," another voice muttered into the conversation. But, that was the only thing she could really say at that moment because Ryan was introducing her to all of his colleagues.

_Yeah, well you're torturing me. _The young man was about to say that out loud, but once he thought about it…it really sounded weird…

He just decided to try ignoring the woman, in his thoughts and in person. So, he relied on his best friend to take care of that.

Riley guessed that Ben was in a bathroom from the echo he heard on his friend's side, so he smiled sarcastically. "So…how do you look…?"

Well, the older man had to admit to himself, he looked pretty good for just walking in a custodian uniform. "Not bad," he said, straightening his suit one last time and smoothed a stray hair back. _Not that I'm trying to impress Dr. Chase……I hope she gives me my campaign button back…_

The computer nerd chuckled into the microphone. "Mazeltov."

Ben started making his way towards the door, very pleased with himself, but before he walked out, he got an idea.

"You know," he stated before he pushed the door open, smirking a little. "You should really be asking Mary how she looks tonight."

And with that, he left the bathroom, feeling triumphant.

Unfortunately for Riley, however, his plan of trying not to think about Mary was foiled. Now, he couldn't stop thinking of how she looked that night.

_I hate you Ben…_

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Mary really did not know if she could fit any more people into her brain to remember. _Ryan definitely knows a LOT of people. _That's what the two had been doing for the past fifteen minutes, and the brunette was actually starting to prefer bickering with Riley over meeting twenty more people that she would never meet again.

"We should have set up an interview booth," Mary joked around with Ryan as they walked through the crowd of people in the main room. "I've never met so many people in my life!"

The charming man on her arm laughed lightly. "Sorry, but I always feel the need to show off beautiful women." _He always was the charmer_. "Especially when they actually talk to me."

Mary snorted. She now remembered back to when she dated Ryan; he was always polite, charming, and extremely humble towards her. She did like him, of course, but something inside of her always kept her from belonging to only him.

In her mind, she always had a feeling that it was supposed to be someone else who would take her heart.

The brunette snapped out of her reverie, however, when she heard a familiar voice.

"Wow…what a line," Riley said sarcastically into the microphone. The computer nerd wondered how long he would have to listen to Ryan oogle over her. It was starting to bother him…

Mary scoffed out loud, forgetting Ryan was still standing by her.

"Something wrong…?" her date asked, giving her a strange look.

If she did not care about making more of a fool of herself at that moment she would have just screamed out in frustration, hoping the man on the other end of the line would die from the pitch. But no…what she said next would have to do for her revenge at that moment.

"Sorry," Mary said through almost clenched teeth. "I thought I heard someone say something completely idiotic."

"Sticks and stones," Riley said on the other line, sounding very happy that he embarrassed the brunette yet again. Of course, that statement brought the young woman's blood to the point of boiling.

Ryan stood there for a moment, trying to find the appropriate thing to say to his date, who had been acting like she was about to kill someone throughout the even so far.

"Oh…" happened to be the brilliant answer that he had come up with.

At that moment, Mary stopped picturing ways of killing a certain computer nerd with a mallet and turned towards her neglected date. _I am such a jerk sometimes…_She sighed, feeling extremely guilty about ignoring Ryan so far. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I am definitely not being the best date am I?"

With that said, the handsome blonde put his charming smile back on. "I wouldn't say that. It's more like you're the most _interesting_ date so far."

_Wow…how cheesy…_ It was funny that Riley and Mary thought that at the same time.

And, having no idea how to answer to such cheesiness, she simply put on a fake smile. But, that was okay with Ryan, who did not know it was fake. He simply continued to smile.

His attention was then diverted to his right. He turned back to Mary with another smile, only this time it was apologetic.

"I know you're tired of me introducing me to people, so is it alright if I leave you for a minute?"

Mary looked to where his attention was diverted and noticed a beautiful red-head giggling with five other men. Any other day, she would have felt hurt and neglected, but since this whole date was a fake out anyway, she let it slide with glee. _Thank the Lord._

So, before he changed his mind, she quickly ushered him away saying it was okay over and over again.

"Are you sure?" he asked with uncertainty one more time, though he was still looking at the bombshell across the room.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Yes. I am sure." And then he was gone.

Mary sighed and trudged over to the wall. Maybe now she could find some peace and quiet-

"Run him off did you?"

That tipped the iceberg for the young woman, who had been hassled by Riley Poole non-stop through out the night. So, she said absolutely nothing.

But, even if she stayed quiet, it did not mean that she refrained from marching out of the building towards the van, where Riley sat unexpectedly, with a murderous gaze upon her features.

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_Okay…there she is…_Ben thought as he looked into the main room. Dr. Chase was currently standing by herself just looking around He would have walked in earlier, but the bit with Riley and Mary was quite distracting, so he ended up leaning against a wall listening with an unbelieving look on his face. He wouldn't dare say anything; those two needed to figure out their problems with each other themselves. Of course, with Ben figuring out that Riley was jealous of Mary's date, the older Gates had a clue as to what their problems were…

But, when Mary mysteriously stopped talking –which he still was worried about, but he figured that she went out for some fresh air- Ben put the task at hand in his mind.

So, taking his chance, he made his way through the crowd towards Abigail Chase. Who looked quite nice in her dress. Ben couldn't help but notice it.

When he noticed a waiter carrying around champagne, he shook his head out of his thoughts and grabbed two glasses. One of them would come quite in handy that night.

He walked up silently behind the blonde woman and moved in front of her, holding out a glass.

"For you," he said as calmly as he could muster. Dr. Chase did indeed look beautiful.

"Oh, Mr. Brown," she took the glass in surprise. _I did not expect him to be here._

Ben nodded politely. "Dr. Chase."

"What are you doing here?" The beautiful doctor winced a little after she asked that. She meant for the question to be a little more polite, especially since he gave her that wonderful gift earlier that day.

Flashback:

'_Work, work, and more work,' Abigail Chase thought to herself as she was filling out endless paper work. For the past few days, that was all she did because it kept needing to be done. In fact the only time she was not filling out paper work was when those three people came with their ludicrous claim of the Declaration of Independence planning to be stolen._

_The blonde snorted at the memory. 'It was entertaining, though.' She shook her head in amusement and went back to work._

_A few more minutes went by until she heard a soft nock at her door._

_Glad to have a break from giving her signature for the hundredth time, she said, "Come in." And, her secretary Sara popped her head in, giving her a strange smile._

_Abigail raised an eyebrow. "What…?" she asked cautiously._

_Still giving the same smile, she walked up to the desk with a small red box in her hand. "This just came for you." She then placed it front of her on the desk._

_The doctor would have been more excited, except she had already received a gift from her co-worker, Stan that day. 'Of all the people to be persistent, why couldn't it just be someone else?'_

"_I hope it's not from Stan."_

_Abigail reluctantly picked the box up with a sigh, and took the note lying on top of it. She opened the miniature envelope and prepared herself for some ridiculous poem written inside._

_Her indifferent eyes, however, changed to surprise when she saw that someone else had given her the gift._

"_For the woman who has everything else," she began, looking up at Sara, who still had that goofy smile upon her features, "Thanks for listening, Paul Brown."_

_Dr. Chase had not expected this; not at all. But, she had to admit, she did not mind that Mr. Brown had sent her something. Despite his ludicrous claims, he was an interesting man._

_She opened the small red box, still eyeing the note in front of her. She immediately brought her eyes, however, when she saw what lay at the top…_

_The campaign button that would complete her collection._

End of Flashback:

After remembering that, a ghost of a smile appeared on her features as she took a sip of champagne.

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_I wonder what happened to Mary_… Riley Poole thought as double-checked the system on his laptop. There would be no room for mistakes that night. But, back to his thoughts, why did Mary suddenly go silent. She couldn't be that mad…right?

The young man did not mean to act the way he did, but whenever he heard her and Ryan laugh or sound happy, it just ticked him off! Which meant only one thing…

_I'm crazy._

Okay, maybe two things.

Riley probably would have figured out that he was indeed jealous if he had more time, but Ben catching up with Dr. Chase interrupted his thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" the computer heard in his ear piece. _Ah, there's Dr. Chase_, the young man thought with a mischievous smile growing on his lips. He thought it was high time for Ben Gates to receive some pay back.

"Is that that hot girl?" he asked innocently. He almost gave an evil laugh when he heard his friend clear his throat uncomfortably. Of course, the computer nerd should not have said that, because Mary, who was still stomping her way to the van, heard that remark and it strangely made her unhappier.

"How does she look?"

_Shut up, Riley_, Ben pleaded in his head. Dr. Chase looked at him, still expecting an answer to her question. He laughed, although with a tinge of nerves. "I made a last minute donation. A pretty big one."

He saw Abigail's features brighten up with that comment. "Well, on that subject," she began. "Thank you for your wonderful gift!"

"Oh, you did get it?" The older Gates almost wanted to sigh in relief. It was imperative that she got that campaign button. Plus, if she never did get it that meant that he lost it. He never wanted to give it to her in the first place. But, her smile was slowly changing his mind.

She nodded in response, still looking happy. "I really couldn't accept something like that normally, but…" she laughed. "I really want it."

Strangely, he wasn't that upset about it. "Well, you needed it."

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_Great._ Riley thought sarcastically. _Another romance blooming over the microphone. _"Come on, Romeo," he muttered, annoyed. "Get out of there." Yeah, Ben was obviously too into the conversation (or Dr. Chase) at the moment to really care what he said. But, a new voice entered into the picture. A male voice that did not sound happy that Ben was chatting with the beautiful doctor.

_Ah, a love triangle appears_, he thought, amused. "Who's the stiff?" the computer nerd wondered aloud. A noise caught the young man's attention, though. It sounded like someone was making their way to the van.

_Oh crap. _He quickly put his laptop away, in case it was security, but just as he did the side door slid open. It revealed the stranger to be not a stranger at all, but a very angry looking Mary Gates…

"Wh-" he began, shocked that she was there in front of him.

"What is your _problem_?" the red-faced brunette asked in a dangerous voice.

_Oh…that. _Riley had now figured out that Mary was indeed angry over his behavior that night. But, even if she did have a right to be mad at him, the young man was not going to let her scare him.

"Shouldn't you be inside?" He asked, pretending not to hear her first question. He picked his laptop back up.

"I would _love _to go back inside and do my part of the job," she hissed, squeezing the open door, fearing she would strangle the computer nerd in front of her. "But, _somebody_ has a problem with me doing that!"

Riley snorted, and put his laptop down again, albeit rougher that time. "_No_," he snapped, stepping out of the van to face her. "You just can't face the fact that you shouldn't be out with whatever-his-name-is, instead of doing your job!"

"How dare you!" she hissed, wanting to slap the guy badly, but decided to hold her ground. "You _know_ that my 'date' with Ryan wasn't for real!" She could not believe that the young man before her thought she was putting another man before her brother and the plan.

The young man knew Mary was right. But, fear of her finding out about his jealousy –yes, he eventually figured it out- clouded his judgment. So, he just gave up on the argument completely.

The brunette saw him break off eye contact and turn back towards the van. _Oh no he doesn't._ "Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Just go back inside," the young man said under his breath, though he didn't want her to go away. Definitely not.

That hurt the young woman. He would rather let her walk away than actually try to fix the problem. She sighed in disappointment, tired of Riley being a child. "Fine, don't say anything." Mary turned on her heel, crossed her arms from the chilly breeze, and began to walk off.

But, someone grabbing her arm turned her around again to face a very conflicted looking Riley. The brunette's blue eyes widened at his proximity, and started to feel very uncomfortable.

"Riley, wha-"

"I was jealous," the young man said quickly and suddenly, catching the already caught off guard woman off guard more.

_He was what? _She stared at Riley, not sure if she heard him right. But, the grip on her arm was starting to make her heat up, even though the weather said different, so she slid out of the computer nerd's grasp. She stepped away, backing up towards the side of the van, making sure there was no invasion of personal space involved.

"I'm sorry, what?" Mary asked Riley. The young man actually looked disappointed that she stepped away from him.

He surprisingly took another step forward, but his head was facing the ground.

"I said I was jealous," Riley said softly, earning confused stare from the brunette, "of you going out with Ryan tonight."

The young woman, not liking that he came closer, took another step back. But, she was still in the state of confusion. It always did take her while to figure the male population out. Plus, things that happened in the past always made more sense than the present.

Completely oblivious to the young man's true meaning, she just stared at him in confusion. "But, why would you be jealous of me?"

Riley shot his head up, and gave her the strangest look. But, when still had no idea what he really meant, he just sighed out in frustration. He took another step forward towards the brunette, who was running out of room before she reached the side of the van.

"In the name of everything that is holy, Mary!" he almost shouted in exasperation, making the woman jump a little. "I'm not jealous of you, I'm jealous of Ryan!" The computer savvy individual could not stand it every time the she laughed with the handsome, rich man. Even when Ryan's name was mentioned, it made his fists clench.

Taking another step back, the young woman finally reached the side of the van, not being able to move any further. It was starting to disconcert her as to how Riley kept moving towards her. But, when he explained himself further, her thoughts moved from the bespectacled man's increasing proximity to his revelation. _But, if he was jealous of Ryan…wait…_it was finally beginning to dawn on the brunette.

Any other moment, Riley Poole would have laughed at Mary's denseness, but during the awkward silence as the young woman slowly figured his meaning out, he saw what Ben was talking about earlier.

_She does look nice tonight. _And right then, the young man figured out that he was actually attracted to Mary Gates, the woman whom he had fought with for what seemed like centuries. He took another step closer to get a better look at her.

Her blue dress fit her perfectly, and her hair, which was probably once up, was now completely down. _Probably from her rabid hunt for me_, he mused. Riley was actually starting to like the fact that she left her date with Ryan to hunt for him. He looked down at her feet which displayed blue converse on each foot. The young man wrinkled his nose. She obviously did not go to events like those often.

But still, he found himself attracted to her just the way Mary Gates was. Confused expression and all.

Riley's revelation caused him to grin and take a braver step forward. And, when it finally dawned upon the brunette's features, the look in which she produced almost made the young man laugh out loud.

"You were _jealous?!_" Mary asked, shocked. She shot her head up, and almost gasped when she saw that Riley was standing right in front of her. _Why is he grinning…?_ It made her feel very uncomfortable. Since when did Riley Poole want to invade her personal space? She tried to move back more, but the van behind her halted her goal. So, the brunette stuck with rambling, hoping her unnecessary chatting would get him to back off. She laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? You don't like me. Yup, you wished Ben sisterless every day since you met me, plus you always want me out of your sight-"

"Well, you are very annoying when you talk too much," Riley muttered. _"Sisterless" isn't a real word anyway._

Mary insisted on talking more, though. But, this time she stepped up, almost making the young man lose his bearing from her closeness. She poked him roughly in the chest, looking angry again. "Wait a minute! I came out here to yell at you! Even if you were jealous that still does not excuse you from treating me the way you did earlier today!"

Riley cocked an eyebrow, and took a step forward, making the brunette back up towards the van again.

"Well, if you weren't hanging all over Donald Trump, things would have been different," he said in an annoyed tone. He may have realized that he was attracted to Mary, but that did not mean that what she said did not make him angry.

The young woman dropped her mouth open. "You're only saying that because you are jealous!"

Riley leaned in, making the woman press herself against the van, having no where else to go. "I know," he said in a quiet tone with a sly grin.

"Well…okay," she breathed. She felt herself start to heat up again. It confused her greatly with this great turn around from Riley, and the fact she never got that flushed from being close to Ryan physically. And, after a moment, when he still didn't move away from her face, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Wh-why are you standing so close to me?" Then she started to ask herself why her legs could barely hold her up anymore. _Why do they feel like jelly?_ This was Riley that was causing her to react so, the biggest nerd in the world was making her go weak at the knees! _This is not normal!_

The computer nerd blushed when Mary asked that, and he opened his mouth to speak, but…

But, Ben, the infamous interrupter…interrupted…

"If you guys haven't forgot about me, I kind of need help with the password," Ben said, obviously annoyed, yet coy at the same time. Though those two could have picked a better time to have their little revelation conversation, it still entertained Ben greatly as he made it to the Preservation Room. Towards the end of their chat, however, the elder Gates didn't know if he could take the awkwardness anymore. _Rely on Mary not knowing what to do, _he thought amused with his younger sisters reaction.

"Ben!" Mary said quickly and high-pitched. She slid away from Riley as fast as she could, still flushed beyond belief. _He could probably hear every word, _she thought, embarrassed that her brother heard that meant-to-be private moment. But, in order to keep her sanity, she used Ben as her distraction. "Did the solvent on Dr. Chase's hands appear on the panel?"

_Keep it together…keep it together._

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Okay, half-way through the Gala! Alright! Just stick with me folks, and I promise I'll make it as exciting as possible. And, since I don't have school this summer, I can update faster instead of all of the professors taking control of my free-time.

Anyways, I hope you liked the moments I put in this chapter. I was giggling like a crazy person when I wrote that Riley/Mary scene. I think my parents are worried for my sanity, but oh well.

I believe I'll finish the Gala in the next chapter. And, it won't be as long of a wait, I promise. Anyways, if you get tired of waiting for the next chapter, might I recommend _Another Clue_. It's a Riley/OC story, and it's one of the best ones I have read. Most of you guys have probably read it, but oh well, it's still very good.

Anyways, PLEASE review! Even though I don't deserve it with the long wait on this chapter, but they make me happy.


	11. The Gala, pt 2

So…you guys probably hate me…

Hey, being a Senior in college is hard and takes up a bunch of time. But, I finally got some free time and I went on writing frenzy to write this totally amazing chapter.

I hope all of you enjoy this one!

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Riley frowned at the back of Mary Gates. This resulted from the fact that she kept it to his face ever since what happened just a few minutes ago. And, if he could hit himself in the face without looking like a total freak, he would… hard.

He would have loved to engage in a conversation with his conscience then, but with Ben in the process of stealing the Declaration of Independence…concentrating was tough.

Of course, Mary wasn't doing any better either. Her face was flushed red, and she couldn't stop pacing up and down the curb.

And, then there was Ben, who had a flicker of an idea of what happened during the short time period, but he was currently busy. _And Mary is barely coherent._

"Alright Ben," she said in a high-pitched voice. She was trying to act casual, as if nothing happened. "You want me to give you the thing for the…thing…?"

No one ever said she was good at acting casual under pressure.

Ben sighed as he faced the password key pad. They were running short on time, and his sister sounded like she had been on the chronic. But, he couldn't yell at her. "Yes, Mary. I would like the thing for the thing, please."

"Riley," she said, still not facing him. "Ben w-wants the thing for the-"

"The thing?" He couldn't help it, he laughed. Now that the computer nerd knew that he had some sort of effect on Mary Gates, he lightened up a bit. He thought Mary had turned away because she couldn't stand the sight of him. But, with her Mickey Mouse voice at the moment… Riley knew then that maybe she might be experiencing the same awkward feelings he was. _Who knew a romantic comedy could occur during such a dramatic event._

Leaving his thoughts of the spazzing brunette in front of him, he climbed back into the van. "Okay," he spoke into the headset, "I am going to turn off the surveillance camera. Ready? In five, four, three, now." He smirked when he saw the video footage appear on the screen. "Ben Gates, you are now the invisible man." _And I am awesome._

Mary just decided to wait outside of the van, in the freezing cold. She was hoping that maybe losing all of the feeling in her body would make her heart stop beating so fast. But, no, Mary's legs felt like jelly, her entire body was flushed, and the moment before kept replaying over and over in her head. _Or maybe I'm dying of hypothermia._

After questioning if she was physically ill, Mary actually turned her thoughts towards a different direction. She turned around and narrowed her eyes at Riley Poole. _This is his entire fault._ Mary blamed him for making her feel that way by just saying a few words and invading her personal space. _Plus, he chose tonight of all nights to do that! He's just messing with me, getting me back for everything I have ever done to him._

But, before her piercing eyes could be caught by Riley, Ben spoke up in her ear.

"It's Valley Forge right, Mary?"

Her blue eyes lost their fire, and she just went blank. "What?" _I have totally missed everything._

Mary heard her older brother sigh on the other line. She started to feel guilty; here she was, worrying about her own problems while her brother was depending on her that night. She put a hand to her forehead, rubbing her temples, "I'm sorry, Ben, my mind has frozen."

"The password," she heard that familiar voice come from the van. Keeping her cool, Mary faced him, and walked over to the van, got inside and took a peek at the laptop screen. There were nine different letters at the top.

"If Dr. Chase pressed the e, and the l twice, Valley Forge would definitely be the right guess," she said as she finally decided to sit down in the front passenger seat.

"Don't you want to see your brother commit a capital offense?" Mary heard Riley ask behind her.

"I've had enough shocks tonight, thanks," she muttered. That sounded a bit insensitive on her brother's behalf so Mary changed her mind and turned her head while Riley turned his back to her so she would be able to see the monitor. Mary saw Ben make a greeting with his hand, which Riley responded with a comical, "Hello."

"Hey, Ben," Mary said, laughing despite the occasion, "You want me to add this to the family video collection?"

She heard Ben snort on the other line, "Yeah," he said in mock enthusiasm as he drilled the protective case off of the Declaration of Independence. "You can give it to Dad as a birthday present, too."

Riley rolled his eyes at the two siblings. "Hearing you guys discuss disturbing birthday gifts to your relatives is fascinating, but you need to hurry it up Ben." He ignored the sudden cold atmosphere after that was said, and checked the timer on the video feed. "You got about one-" He never finished his statement, for the screen basically just went black.

"What happened?" Mary asked quickly.

Riley's eyes widened. That was not supposed to happen. He checked his laptop as fast as he could. "I don't know," he answered Mary, as he realized his computer was working…just not the video…

"I lost my feed," he said, stunned. He then realized how terrible the situation had just become. "I lost my feed, Ben!"

Mary turned all the way around in her seat, forgetting her dislike of Riley, and now just worried about her big brother. "Can you get it back?"

"No!" Riley said panicked. He did more frantic typing on the keypad, but it was useless. "I don't know where anyone is. I have nothing…Ben, I have- Ben I have nothing!"

Now, Mary was scared beyond belief. "Ben, get out of there!" She did not want her brother to go to jail!

Riley nodded in agreement. "Get out of there. Get out of there now." He wanted to throw his computer out the van. The whole operation was running smoothly up until then.

"I'm taking the whole thing with me," Ben suddenly said. "I will get it out in the elevator."

Mary dropped her mouth open. "What? Forget about it Ben!"

"Not when we've come this far, Mary!" he snapped.

"What are you talking…is it heavy?" Riley was so confused, and nervous about the whole thing now, he had no idea what to think or say. But, luckily he felt a little familiarity with Mary slapping him upside the head.

"'Is is heavy'?" she asked in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"I'm going a little insane, here, sorry," he muttered, rubbing his head.

The brunette never thought she would end up comforting Riley after just a few moments before, but, hey, everything was going crazy…why not her, too?

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm going insane, t-" She stopped in mid-sentence when gun shots rang in her ear piece. Her heart stopped, but a split-second later, she opened the car door, and stumbled outside

"Ben!" Mary screamed, as her stiff legs only got her a few steps out of the car. Did security find him, and shoot him? Surely not!

"Mary! I'm fine!" Ben said, out of breath into the ear piece. He sounded a bit shaken up. "I am in the elevator."

After his sister made sure her heart was beating properly again, she got up and plopped her back against the cool metal of the car. She looked up thankfully at the night sky. No words needed to be said…or could be said.

Ben took the silence as a good thing, and continued drilling apart the case which saved his life. "Ian's here," he said quickly, "There was shooting."

The only response on the other line was Riley.

"I hate that guy!"

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"Maybe I should go, and meet him," Mary said with every bone of her body worried about Ben. She was outside of the car again. She had not moved since the shooting. Everything was going fine; nobody even mentioned Ian the whole night up until that point.

"No you're not," Riley said hastily. There was no way he was going to let her walk back in there after everything that just happened. "Not with Ian somewhere in there; you're not."

Anger flared up in Mary's gut. Who was he to tell her what to do? Especially when it concerned her brother!

"I wasn't asking permission," she snapped back at Riley. He had crawled his way into the driver's seat, so she was looking straight at him when she whirled around.

"I know, but you're still not going!" he yelled as he looked her straight in the eye.

"Mary, stay where you are," Ben ordered. "I'm fine."

"Hopefully you're heading back to the van," Riley muttered. He wanted to get out of there. Ian didn't like him, and people with guns tended to do bad things to people they didn't like.

After hearing Ben's orders Mary reluctantly got back in the van, refusing to look at Riley. _Who does he think he is? Telling me what do!_

Riley didn't look at her either. Both of them just sat there in anger, not caring if they were taking the stress of the situation out on each other.

_Stupid. _They both thought at the same time. They looked like two kids sitting on the opposite sides of a sand box, too stubborn to form any sort of apology. But, luckily the tension didn't last very long, for about five minutes later Ben was walking down the steps and making his way towards the van.

"Thank goodness," Mary said, as she opened the door, and ran towards her brother.

For the first time in his life, Ben was glad to be out of the National Archives. He had succeeded in stealing the document, and he could congratulate himself on that. Ian, however, now scared the living daylights out of him. Ian shot at Ben once before, but a few moments ago, the thief had no emotion in his eyes except for the hunger for the document Ben had in his hands. Ian was willing to kill anyone for the map. _We have to leave fast before Ian gets back above ground._

He was lost in his own thoughts so much he didn't expect to feel a death grip around his chest.

"Oof!" He lost all of the air in his lungs when his sister dived at him, giving him the biggest hug in the world.

"Please tell me we can leave now," Mary said, though her voice was muffled because her face was buried in his shirt.

"Yeah," he said softly, feeling terrible for how the night had turned out. "Riley," he looked over at the agitated computer nerd sitting in the van. "Start the van."

_Gladly_, Riley thought as he turned the engine on. He looked out the car to make sure that Ben and Mary were coming fast, but something unexpected caught his eye. A very angry looking woman was stomping her way towards the two siblings. It was Dr. Chase.

Angry women always terrified him- save for Mary who just looked very funny- so he simply pointed behind them, stuttering, "Guys? The, uh, mean Declaration lady is behind you."

As soon as she heard this, Mary turned around to see Abigail Chase, whose narrowed eyes were directed at Ben. Her brother simply kept his cool, though Mary could see a few beads of sweat appear on his forehead.

"Hey," Dr. Chase stated and paused in front of Ben. She looked like she knew something.

_This is not good_, Mary thought, trying to act casual, too.

"Oh, it's you," Ben greeted politely, though in a higher tone than usual.

"Hi," Mary said, clearly nervous. _Think of something else to say! _"I love your dress." _I suck…_

Dr. Chase gave her a strange look, and then turned her attention back to Ben. "Mr. Brown what's going on?" She then saw him fiddling with a cylindrical case. It looked like something one could put an important document in… "What's that?" she asked suspiciously. _He really didn't, did he?_

"It's a souvenir," he responded quickly. He then nudged at Mary to get started towards the van. She easily complied and quietly stalked off as Abigail stated, "Really?"

Riley had seen the whole thing, but personally he would just ditch the blonde and get back to the van. He looked in his side view mirror and swore he saw a group of men getting into a huge truck. It looked like something Ian would drive…so he latched hold of the wheel out of nervousness.

"Stop chatting and get in the van," Riley ordered through clenched teeth. He calmed down a little as he saw Mary start making her way back.

"Patience is a virtue," Mary said under her breath, though she hoped Ben would hurry up too.

"Yes, it is a virtue. That's why there is no patience," Riley countered.

Mary put her hand on the handle and was about to open it, but a strange sound entered her ears. _What is that?_ She turned to Riley with a confused look but he had his head in his hands muttering, "Oh my God…"

She turned back towards the building, and saw that Ben was running back towards the vehicle…without the Declaration.

"Security! Over here!" Mary heard Dr. Chase yell. That's when she decided that getting back in the car was a good idea. The sound was the alarm, and they had to get out of there now. She got in the back and let Ben jump in the front seat.

"Go," Ben stated, out of breath.

But, Riley had noticed that Dr. Chase had the Declaration, not Ben. He wasn't going to just leave like that. "What?"

"He said go!" Mary yelled, wanting to get out of the parking area.

"I know that!" Riley snapped back. "But, we can't just let her go!"

Ben pointed at the road. "We can. Now go!"

Riley sighed and fumbled with the gears. _Stupid stick shift…_

"Wait, no hold it!" Ben said suddenly, and a bit panicked. "Hold it."

"Make up your mind, Ben," Mary warned, tired of all the stalling. But, she wondered what was going on; there was only the windshield she could see out of from the back.

"Bad," her brother breathed. He fumbled with the door as he tried to get back out but it was locked. "Bad, bad, bad!"

Riley just looked with wide eyes in the same direction that Ben was. Mary was now extremely confused.

"What is going on?" she asked, worried about what was happening. But, Ben got of the car before he could answer her. Mary shot up, and leaned forward to look outside. The moment she did, however…everything went haywire.

Mary saw a group of men carrying away Dr. Chase, who was screaming and beating against the kidnappers. And then shots rang in her ears. Ian and his men were shooting at them…

"Ben!" Mary screamed. Glass shattered unexpectedly, and she felt a strong hand push her down to the floor board of the van.

"Get down!" she heard Riley scream, but his voice could barely be heard over the shots. Mary complied and squeezed her eyes shut and felt at least some comfort from the fact Riley kept his hand on her back. But, along with the comfort, there was a searing pain in her eye. She ignored that, though, as the chaos continued.

A few seconds felt like forever as the two waited for the shooting to stop. It never did, but Ben did make it back to the van.

"GO! GO!" Ben yelled as he jumped in the van. Riley didn't even think twice, and screeched out of the parking area.

"Did they kidnap Abigail?" Mary asked as she sat up carefully. Her right eye really was hurting. It hurt even more when she tried to open it. "Ouch," she hissed at the pain.

Riley thought about halting the car immediately, but kept on going though his thoughts starting racing. _Was she shot? I tried to keep her out the way!_

"Were you shot?" Ben asked, totally panicked.

"No," Mary said through clenched teeth as she tried to open her right eye again. Yet again, major pain occurred. "But, I think I got glass in my eye."

Though that still sounded painful, both Riley and Ben sighed in relief.

"Do you need a hospital right now?" Ben asked, completely serious. "Or…can you hold on a few minutes more?"

Riley looked at Ben like he grew another head. "I'm glad you care about your sister so much Ben," he said sarcastically. He continued going seventy in a thirty-mile per hour zone. Riley would have preferred to take her to hospital, but it all relied on what she decided.

_Save Abigail or save my eye?_ Mary thought. Both were accidents, but…Dr. Chase wasn't even supposed to be involved, and now Ian had her. She hated the situation she was in. But, before she could make a decision, the van skidded as it made a sharp turn. The force threw her to the opposite side of the van.

"I might have to go to hospital _now_ because of somebody's crappy driving!" The brunette yelled, rubbing her head that would probably have a bump on it later.

"Sorry!" Riley yelled back, trying to get the steering back in control. "Skidding, skidding, skidding…" he muttered.

Ben saw Ian's car getting further away, and he felt a pit forming in his stomach. He had to save Abigail, but if his sister needed immediate medical attention, he would do what needed to be done.

"I can handle it," he heard Mary mumble. "But, I will need to get this chip of glass out soon." He looked at her in extreme gratitude, and looked ahead at the road.

Mary wanted to forget the whole thing and go to the hospital, but an eye for a life didn't sound fair. Abigail didn't deserve to be in the situation she was in.

Riley pressed the gas peddle down further, and kept his eye on the huge truck with a hostage in it. He took another hard right, and gasped when he saw the construction site that laid ahead.

_Crap…_

Mary was basically blind so when she felt like she was in an earthquake, she thought it was the end of the world. "What's going on?!" But, she received no answer. Instead she heard…

"Oh no…"

"Holy Lord…"

"That doesn't sound good," Mary stated, completely aggravated. She opened her teared-up left eye, and really only saw a blurry outline of the truck, but something was weird about it.

"Is the back door open?"

"Yup," Riley said with his jaw slack.

The younger Gates strained her eye a bit more, and then she gasped. "Is Abigail hanging off of it??"

"Yup," Riley responded the same way.

"Holy Lord," Mary said as she closed both of her eyes again. She shook her head, wondering how these ludicrous events kept happening.

_That's what I said_, Riley thought, strangely proud that he rubbed some sayings off on her.

"Get me next to her," Ben ordered, interrupting Riley's badly-timed thoughts about Mary. The young man did as he was told, and Ben crawled into the back and quickly opened the side door.

"What? Are you jumping out?" Mary yelled in confusion. _Blast not being able to see!_ But, she figured Ben didn't jump out since she heard him scream out to Abigail (who was also screaming loud enough it was in Mary's hearing range).

Riley kept his eyes on the road, but they occasionally strayed over to the awesome scene to his right. Ben was basically saving the damsel in distress, and Riley was driving the get away car. How many moments like this occurred in life?

"Abigail!" Ben yelled, stretching out his hand towards the woman hanging on for dear life. When the blonde saw him, her eyes widened even more. _Mr. Brown is going to save me?_ Nevertheless she stretched out her hand, trying to grab his. Headlights blinded her, however, and his van veered away. A car was heading their way, and Abigail was basically a deer caught in the headlights; unable to move.

The car whipped by, and Ben feared the worst, but he saw that the Dr. Chase was still there. _The door swung away…thank God._

Riley, amazed that Dr. Chase hadn't fallen into the road yet, drove by Ian's truck again.

Ben outstretched his hand again, and yelled, "Jump!" He never thought she would jump so fast, but she did…and landed straight into him.

"Ack!" Ben yelled as the extra weight caused him to fall backwards and…unfortunately…landed on Mary.

"Never mind, I would like to go to a hospital," Mary groaned as she was smashed against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Riley was the first one to ask. Mary was surprised at how concerned he sounded.

"Aside from getting glass in my eye, being thrown about in this stupid van, and having a full-grown man with a full-grown woman in his arms fall on me…I'm peachy."

The young man at the wheel laughed. _She'll be fine if her sense of humor is intact._ "Well, thank goodness for that."

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Poor Mary…she just got beat up this chapter! Oh well, it was very fun to write; not Mary getting beat up, but all the adventureness!

So, the next chapter will introduce Dr. Riley Poole. It will be an awesome scene and you know it.

Anyways, I will continue with this story, but I have a 20-page paper due next Monday on the Contagious Diseases Acts of 1864, 1867, and 1869. So the next update won't be for a while. Maybe in a couple of weeks.


	12. Confusing Thoughts

Yay! Another chapter! I got through my research paper and presentation, and I have never felt so relieved. All of you better have had an awesome Thanksgiving. Now it's Christmas time! Yes! My favorite time of the year!

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging reviews, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

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"Are you. All. _Right_." Ben asked for what seemed like the tenth time. Abigail was still not giving him a straight answer.

Riley who finally calmed down from his "Speed Racer" moment, became irritated at Ben, and snapped, "Still a little on edge from being shot at, but thanks for asking."

"Keep your eyes on the road, please," Mary grumbled by him in the passenger's seat.

Calming down a little, Riley glanced over at her in concern quickly so he would not crash the _van. Mary had both of her eyes closed, but tears were streaming down her face. Probably from the pain._ He kept these secretive glances going for a few more minutes, thinking that Mary could not see him.

"Stop it," she said suddenly.

Riley jumped in his seat and his face flushed. He then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Stop what?"

"Stop looking at me like I'm going to drop dead any second," she continued, gritting her teeth. Mary Gates was in pain, but she surely was not going to die with glass in her eye. _The worst case scenario: I lose my eye…_

_That would suck._

Riley turned back towards the road, and pretended to laugh her accusation off. "I was n-"

"Riley, I've received enough glares from you to know when you are looking at me," Mary stated tiredly. Though, a ghost of a smile was present on her features. She would not admit it at the moment, but Mary did not mind Riley Poole looking at her out of concern. The only reason she told him to stop was so she would not smile. _That mission failed_, Mary thought sarcastically, letting a small grin form.

Letting one hand stay on the steering wheel, Riley rubbed the back of his neck (which was certainly warming up). "I don't glare at you all of the time," he muttered.

Mary scoffed. "True, Riley. Because when you weren't, _I_ was glaring at you."

There was a short silence, or there was for them, since Dr. Chase and Ben were arguing up a storm. Riley took this time to recap everything that had happened to him over the past months.

_First, I move in with the Gates and meet the most horrible woman on the planet. Second, we team up with Ian and his posse, in which we all proceed to find the Charlotte. Third, once we find said ship, Ben, Mary, and I are almost exterminated by Ian in the Arctic Circle. Fourth, Ben decides to be a hero, and steal the Declaration of Independence; thus, forcing Mary and I to cooperate, which produced…um…interesting circumstances. Fifth, once we steal the Declaration, everyone is shot at; Dr. Chase was kidnapped and then hung off of a van for her dear life, which resulted in more gun fire and rescuing the damsel in distress. What next? Dr. Chase and Ben make out? _

Surprising her ears, Mary heard Riley laugh abruptly. Turning her head towards him in vain, she asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Everything," he admitted, tuning out the bickering Ben and Abigail. "This whole treasure hunt is the quintessential epic."

Hearing that, Mary laughed in return. Hearing Riley describe the treasure hunt as an epic made her think of the old epics like _The Odyssey_ or _Beowulf_, and picturing the computer nerd dressed up as a war hero from Saxony times or ancient Greek times made her laugh harder. Between laughs she asked, "Are you Beowulf or Odysseus?"

Riley raised an eyebrow. "I haven't fought any Cyclops' or dragons named Grendel lately."

"I don't know," Mary stated mockingly. "I think I saw Ian breath fire earlier."

Riley snorted, he was happy that they were having at least a semi-normal conversation.

"No, that would be Dr. Chase…" Riley trailed off on that statement for he just realized that Dr. Chase was still in the van. And, the awkward silence that followed determined his fear that the mean Declaration lady had heard him.

_Crap._

Ben cleared his throat, and when Riley glanced in the rearview mirror, he swore he saw Abigail's eyes turn red.

"Believe me," the angry blonde stated harshly, "If I could breathe fire, _you_ would be the first person who would know."

Mary slapped a hand to her mouth to muffle her guffaws. She did not handle that well, for Ben punched her in the arm.

"_Ouch_," she hissed at her big brother…though she didn't know where he was…

"Sorry," Riley muttered towards Abigail, who had turned her attention back on Ben.

"Who were those men?" she demanded.

Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _Why can't she just shut up?_ "Just the guys we warned you were going to steal the Declaration." In his own little way, it was Ben Gate's way of saying 'I told you so!' without receiving a slap to the face.

"And _you _didn't believe us!" Riley added. Abigail gave one of her glares that could disintegrate an individual on the spot. Ben sighed in exasperation. _At least Mary isn't saying anything._

Making sure Dr. Chase didn't do anything irrational to his driver, Ben continued. "We did the only thing we could do to keep it safe." He clutched the plastic container that held the Declaration of Independence, seeing as Dr. Chase was not saying anything. Instead, she resorted to one of her piercing looks that made Ben quite uncomfortable. Besides his Mom, this blonde woman wins the prize of making Benjamin Gates feel like she could read his mind.

The piercing gazes and the silence broke when Abigail lunged for the container suddenly. Luckily, Ben had quick reflexes, and jumped away.

"_Verdammt_!" Abigail hissed at her missed grasp. "Give me that!" she demanded of Ben.

Tired of the high-pitched noises coming from the woman he just risked saving, Ben snapped back at her. "You know what? You're shouting _again_."

Riley turned his head a little bit in amusement. The car ride was starting to become entertainment. For Mary, the whole thing was just giving her a headache.

"Pretty sure she was swearing too," Riley added, smirking.

Feeling bad about losing his cool, Ben sighed and settled down on the van floor. "Well, we probably deserved that."

"I don't know," Mary stated, irate from the pain in her eye. It was really starting to bug her now. "I think my botched-up eye is all I deserve."

The brunette sighed in contentment when everyone shut up after that…at least for a while.

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Mary Gates must have nodded off because when she opened her working eye, the young woman noticed the van was in a small clearing…and Ben was pacing frantically in the grass. Riley startled her by appearing by her window, leaning against the frame. And, Abigail was just sitting in the back with her legs hanging over the side of the open doorway.

"Why aren't we back at the apartment?" Mary asked Riley quietly. The computer nerd jumped in surprise, and banged his head on the frame.

"Nice," she said flatly. But, all eyes were now on them, seeing as Riley was muttering a few colorful metaphors and rubbing the back of head.

"We can't go back," Ben answered her question, looking extremely guilty. "I used my credit card earlier to get a copy of the Declaration, and I am pretty sure that the FBI has already ransacked my apartment."

Mary thought that by shaking her head, she would wake up from this terrible nightmare, but instead she just felt the glass press against her retina again. She sighed shakily, and turned her bloodshot eye to her brother. "Why in the _world_ would you use a credit card during a heist??" Yes, Mary was mad. Blame the stress.

"It doesn't matter," Ben said, looking very pitiful in Abigail's mind. She had a feeling that Ben's intentions were for the greater good, even if a tad bit crazy. Still, she had to return the document, because even if it was possible there was a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, she was not going to let anybody attempt to do chemical tests on the historical artifact.

"Of course it matters," Mary yelled, opening the door blindly, almost hitting Riley. "Because the Silence Dogood letter scans are back at our apartment! Now, you know we have to go to Dad's house!" Mary knew that she was getting way too emotional, but it seemed that everything was going wrong, and she had to vent sometime that night. Plus, she had not spoke to her dad in quite a while, and Mary knew that the man would not appreciate them barging into his house about the treasure. Last time her and Ben spoke to Patrick Gates, he basically kicked them out of the house in less than fifteen minutes because Ben brought up the Charlotte.

"I know," Ben said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his cool with his sister, but he was pretty stressed out, too. "I'm just trying to think of anything else we could do."

Mary huffed and sat down in the grass. _Stupid brother_, she thought immaturely.

Riley then cleared his throat, hoping the noise would slice through the tension. "Well…not to be a _nudge…_, but you do realize how many people we have after us." He swore he heard Abigail snort. But, he continued. "I mean, we probably have our own satellite by now. I mean, it took you all of two seconds to decide to steal the Declaration of Independence."

Ben stopped pacing and glared at his friend. "Yeah, but I didn't think I would have to personally have to tell my Dad about it-" his rant was cut short seeing as Dr. Chase made a run for it with the container in tow. He should have expected that, seeing as he let Abigail hold it hoping she would stop complaining. His mind was obviously a little cloudy that night. So, after cursing himself mentally, he ran after her shouting "Hey! Not cool, not cool!" leaving Riley and Mary behind.

Seeing as Abigail was not going to be leaving their party any time soon, Riley banged his head against the door frame. He sighed out of exasperation, and looked down at Mary who was rubbing her eye. Actually, it looked like she trying to get the glass out with her bare hands.

"Hey!" he shouted, causing Mary to stop and look up in surprise. "What the heck do you think you are doing? Making sure that you are half blind in the near future?!"

Mary threw her hands up in a huff. "What else am I supposed to do? Leave it in there forever?"

When Mary received no answer, she raised both of her eyebrows. Mary heard Riley rummaging about in the van, but she had no idea why. After a moment or two, Riley then settled himself by the injured woman with a first-aid kit in his hands.

"Since we can't go to a hospital, I guess we'll have to rely on first-aid," Riley muttered, not liking the situation. He wasn't exactly experienced in the medical practice, but he did know some of the basics.

"What?" Mary squeaked in fear. She scooted away, and stood up frantically. "Never mind, I can deal with it. Who needs two eyes anyway?" If there was one thing, Mary Gates could not stand…it was any form of pain associated with medicine. When she was little, Mary's dad would always have to trick her by saying they were going to Chuck-E-Cheese's, but then drag her to a doctor instead.

"Don't be stupid, Mary," Riley said, rolling his eyes. "The glass has to come out either by Ben…or me." He got up quietly, and snuck up to Mary, grabbing her arm.

The woman jumped, and tried to pull away, but Riley Poole was stronger than he looked.

"No," Mary stated with finality, all the while struggling out of Riley's grasp. "You are _not_ touching my eye."

"Stop being so stubborn!"

"If anyone is stubborn Riley, it's you."

"What is going on?" A familiar voice resounded from behind the two. Riley saw it was Abigail, and she actually looked a little concerned. "What happened to her?"

"She got glass in her eye from the shooting," Ben said, looking at his sister in worry. "And, we can't take her to a hospital because of my stupidity." Ben would like nothing more than to switch places with Mary, seeing as she did not deserve the injury. He then looked at Riley who had a firm grasp on his sister's arm. Personally, he had never seen his friend look so serious. _Interesting._

Abigail nodded to what Ben said, and walked up in front of Mary, and slapped Riley's hand away. This caused the computer nerd to grimace, but the blonde ignored him.

"Someone has to get the glass out Mary," Abigail stated, having a softer look in her eye. "In fact, it has probably been in there too long already."

_So, she does have heart_, Ben thought bitterly, wishing that Dr. Chase was not with them. But, with her small notion of kindness, his opinion of her improved just a little. So, he emphasized the Abigail's point.

"Dr. Chase is right, Mary," he said.

Riley saw that Mary fidgeted around. He figured she was trying to decide whether or not to make a run for it, but in the end, Mary relented. She sat down in the passenger's seat again with the door open so Riley could look her in the eye. It turned out the computer nerd was the one with the most medical experience…or at least that is what Ben said. _Wasn't he in naval ROTC? Don't they teach you stuff like that?_

But, there Riley Poole was, alone with Mary Gates as he was about to give her medical attention. Ben and Abigail were talking on the other side of the van, trying to disprove their theories on the Declaration.

"I swear," Mary began harshly, but still shaken up, "If you hurt me, I'll go by the old Code of Hammurabi."

As Riley got out pieces of cotton, and a small water bottle, he looked confused. "And, that is?"

"An eye for an eye," she threatened. Mary's hands were clutching the seat until her knuckles were turning white. _She really is scared_, Riley thought, feeling sympathetic, but he was kind of nervous, too. And, that last threat did not help.

"You know," Riley began as he washed his hands with some hand sanitizer. "If you threaten me, you'll only increase chances of me messing up, and poking your eye out…which _will_ hurt." After that statement, the young woman shut her mouth and stuck with bouncing her legs on the balls of her feet. Riley laughed, albeit a little shaky, and wet a cotton swap with water. _Please don't let me be the cause of her ending up half-blind."_

He gently touched the side of Mary's face, and disregarded the blush that immediately took over her features. Even if pain was going to follow up from Riley's contact, Mary could not help but feel the heat his touch brought to her skin. The young woman swallowed to keep her running thoughts at bay.

_Why do I keep reacting this way when he is close to me?_

"This is going to hurt," Riley said in a quiet tone as he pulled on the side of her eyelid, forcing it to open. A whimper followed, and her hand automatically grabbed the bottom of his hoodie, twisting the fabric in her fist. This resulted in Riley being jerked down closer to her.

Riley's face heated up once this happened, but he still forced himself to look closely right into her eye. From what he saw there was the tiniest fragment of glass residing on the white part of her eye. The young man sighed in relief.

"What is it?" Mary asked, panicked. "What's wrong?" Her hold on his hoodie tightened.

Riley laughed softly so his hand would stay perfectly still on her face. "Nothing, I can take the glass out." He took the wet cotton swab and moved it towards her eye, which tried to close on account of the object's proximity…and the fact she was not used to having a certain guy so close to her. In fact, Mary's heart beat so fast, she was surprised that Riley couldn't hear it.

"Mary," he said impatiently.

"Riley," she said back, aggravated.

"Keep your eye open," he ordered. Riley tried again to take the glass out and slowly moved the piece of cotton against the glass. The shard automatically stuck to the damp cotton, and was taken out.

"Is it out?" Mary asked. The fact Riley could feel her breath on his skin that time made him very nervous. Even his hand that held the cotton swab began to shake.

"Y-yeah." The young man stepped away quickly and turned around. He shook his head, and breathed out slowly. _I think that was probably the most nerve-wracking moment of my entire life._

Mary was not faring well either. Even though Riley was a few feet away from her, her thoughts were still racing a million miles per hour.

_Why in the world is Riley Poole making me feel this way?_ She thought, starting to feel her heart beat pick up speed. Mary Gates was becoming more confused by her reactions to his proximity by the second. _We have never gotten along until now, and even then, we still fight._ In her mind, Riley Poole was always the person she picked on…because it was so much fun…and now because she loved picking on him, it was all coming back to haunt her in the form of attraction.

_Attraction?_ Mary's head shot up at that thought, and looked at Riley, who was staring off into space. The young woman had never given much thought to his looks, considering them not important. As she looked at Riley standing there, however, Mary could not help but appreciate his physique.

"Oh _please!_" Abigail's scoff interrupted the two deep-thinkers.

"What?" Ben snapped. "You can't disprove my theory by just saying 'It's impossible'!"

"That is because a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence _is_ impossible!" Abigail stated, using her hands for emphasis.

Forgetting their previous inner battles, Riley and Mary simple looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Mary winced after the action, and almost began to rub her eye, until a hand snatched hers.

"Don't," Riley said, releasing her hand. He bent down again to check up on her eye, and again, Mary became flushed. Her right eye was still bloodshot, and watery. Riley did not think there would be any permanent damage, though. "Rubbing it will only make it hurt more."

"I can't help it," she whined like her six-year old self. "It feels uncomfortable."

"It'll be more uncomfortable when the germs from her hands make your eye infected," Riley pointed out while searching the first-aid kit again. He grimaced when the thought of an infected eyeball came to his mind. "Imagine pink eye…with more puss!"

Mary contorted her face out of disgust. "Ugh! Riley that is gross!"

As the computer nerd found some more cotton, and some adhesives, he nodded towards the grossed-out woman; he definitely agreed that the mental image was gross. But, Riley grinned as he emphasized his point for fun, "Not to mention your eye might become so puffy, that you'll scare children; not that you don't already-"

That comment received a punch in the arm, and an annoyed glare from the puncher.

"Hey!" Riley grimaced, though still grinning. "I'm trying to make you an eye patch here!"

Mary rolled her eyes and looked down, but once she saw the hand-made eye patch, her features softened.

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Once Mary had the eye patch on, Riley could not help but burst out laughing. The brunette's softened features immediately sharpened up.

"What?" she snapped. "You made it for me!"

"Sorry," Riley laughed some more, "Are you going to make me walk the plank?"

_So much for his mature side_, Mary thought, rolling her eyes…or rather her eye…

Mary closed the car door in his face, but Riley just walked around the van, and got into the driver's seat. Her annoyance did not deter him.

"Why must you do such hurtful things, Mary?" the young man asked in mock hurt, as he turned the car on.

Mary turned towards him, and looked at him in sarcastic innocence. "Why must you be yourself, Riley?'

"Ouch," he muttered. Silence followed the exchange of words…save for Abigail and Ben bickering outside.

Mary spent the time messing with her eye patch, making sure it was straight and what-not. Her thoughts, however, were driving her crazy. _I wonder what he really thinks about me…_The questions kept tugging at her mind, and would not leave Mary alone. _When did I care what he thinks about me? That's right! I don't care! I just fight with him, so there is nothing to worry about…_

…

_Really though, what does he think of me?_

This last thought brought some old memories to mind; some recollections that made Mary Gates not to want to ask the question after all.

Flashback:

_Mary Gates kept tossing and turning in her bed. She had four cups of coffee during the entire day, and now she was trying desperately to sleep. Mary sighed and punched her pillow. _

_The four cups of coffee were a result of the night before. She, Riley, and Ben had to pull and all-nighter because they had a meeting with Ian today, and the man wanted to know where the Charlotte was or he would pull out on his offer._

"_Stupid Ian," Mary growled, remembering how uninterested he was in the fact they had stayed up all night in order to find out where the stupid ship was._

_Moreover, Riley and her definitely butted heads more than usual the previous night. Mary had tried to use his laptop and he did not trust her with it. War waged on because of it._

"_Stupid Riley," she said in the same tone._

_Mary tried again to sleep by closing her eyes and counting sheep. It did not work, so she punched her pillow again, and stared up at the ceiling. The insomniac decided that staying in bed with her eyes open was not going to work, so she got up and made her way towards the kitchen._

"_Maybe some warm milk," Mary said to herself. _

_By the time she reached the end of the hallway, Mary froze. Voices could be heard from the kitchen, and one of them did not sound happy. _

"_She is driving me crazy!" the angry voice hissed._

'_Riley,' Mary thought with a wry grin. 'What's wrong with him at two in the morning?' _

"_Well, she would probably say the same about you," Ben said, annoyed._

_Mary raised an eyebrow, and peeked around the corner. The two men were standing in the kitchen, and Ben looked like he had been listening to Riley's rants for quite a while._

"_It doesn't matter," Riley pointed out harshly, "Everything I do is criticized by Mary Gates! She's like that jackal from The Omen; she wants to kill me!"_

'_Well, since you related me to a jackal? Yes, I do want to kill you,' Mary thought, narrowing her eyes, letting her anger build up._

_Ben rubbed his temples, and sighed out of exasperation. "I know my sister better than anyone else. Mary is probably the kindest person in my family! The only reason she is impossible to you is the result of you being impossible to her!"_

_Mary silently rooted for her brother. She could always count on him defending her when she needed it._

_Riley crossed his arms and huffed. Ben rolled his eyes, and continued, "Come on, Riley. Just try and be nice to her every now and then. It's not like you hate her."_

_An awkward silence followed, and Mary felt her heart sink within the pause._

_Riley frowned at Ben, "I've dealt with her Riley-hate-a-thon long enough to know that I will never be friends with Mary Gates."_

End of Flashback:

Mary slouched in her seat after that memory. _Never mind…I can live without knowing._ She glanced over Riley, and saw him listening to van's radio. He looked so different than he did a few days ago, in her mind. Right now, he looked like a normal guy jamming out to his favorite music. A few days ago, however, if Mary was in his presence, Riley would have looked like he was dying.

"You look different," Mary said without thinking. Her face immediately turned red when she realized what she said.

Riley looked at her in surprise. "I do?" _Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_ He asked himself nervously.

"Yeah," the young woman mumbled, wishing she never said anything in the first place. "You…um…you look different…in- in a good way."

Riley cleared his throat, starting to feel extremely warm. Mary had never said anything like that to him before. He saw that she looked away immediately. _What should I say to that?_ He thought, panicked. Riley wanted to curse himself for lacking the knowledge of talking to women.

So, he just stuck with the first thing that came to his mind, "You…um…you look good, too." _That was terrible…_

"Thanks," Mary said softly, messing with her eye patch. _Well, he can't hate me that much anymore_, she thought with a small smile

Riley's heart began to beat so fast, it was driving him crazy. So, he rolled down his window, and stuck his head out to look at Ben and Abigail. The two looked like they were staring each other down.

"I'm going to take a picture of your expression when I turn out to be right," Ben grumbled to Dr. Chase.

"And, I'll just rub all of this in your face when you're wrong," Abigail snapped back, crossing her arms.

"Am I interrupting something?" Riley asked bluntly.

"YES!" They both snapped at the interrupter.

"I'm sorry," Riley mumbled sarcastically. "I thought we were on the run."

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Wow, I thought this was a good chapter. I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving, and that this chapter was fluffy enough for you. For the next chapter, I'm thinking of going from Ben and Mary seeing their father again to where they head off to Philadelphia.

Anyways, please read and review! Reviews make me happy! And, happy people love to write, write, write!


	13. Family Reunion

So…you guys hate me…

Sorry over the insane lack of updating, but I was actually losing interest in this story. By some miracle, though, I opened the file for this unfinished chapter and started typing like crazy, having my interest renewed.

My deepest apologies, and I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter.

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Abigail was tired, stressed, and ticked off. There she was, riding in a run-down van after being kidnapped by some man that let her hang off of a truck by the door, and now she was stuck with three people that claimed there was a map on that back of the Declaration of Independence. _Tough night_…Abigail thought bitterly as she threw daggers with her eyes at Ben, who was sitting across from her.

Dr. Chase knew his type; a treasure hunter. A man who would stop at nothing to find what he wanted. That thought made her angrier. She had been fooled by his charming guise of Paul Brown, and had actually thought highly of him. But, it turned out that Mr. Brown did not exist, and Benjamin Gates had only wanted the Declaration…and _used_ her to get to it.

_I hate him._

Ben was not exactly happy, either. He knew- without a doubt- that the FBI was after him, his sister, and Riley; they were being chased by Ian, who probably wanted to kill them; they had to visit his Dad, who is ashamed of his children; _and_ he was stuck with a woman who thought everyone in the van was insane.

Ben saw Abigail glare at him, but he just ignored her. He remembered back to when he first met her. Dr. Chase had actually made a good impression on him. Ben thought she was beautiful, smart, and independent. In fact, he still thought so. But, she was being so unreasonable at the moment, Ben couldn't stand her!

Riley glanced through the rearview mirror, and rolled his eyes. They were about fifteen minutes away from Patrick Gates' house, and the two 'love-birds' in the back had been glaring at each other in silence since Mary had told them to shut up a while ago. The computer nerd grinned after that thought. _Now __**that**__ was hilarious._

Really short flashback:

"_Are they going to be doing this the entire time?" Mary asked the driver grumpily._

_Riley listened in on Ben and Abigail as they continued arguing over who was right or wrong about the Declaration of Independence._

_Ben waved his hands in finality, "__**Fine.**__ I'll concede to the possibility that I am wrong about the map…"Riley arched a disbelieving eyebrow at that statement. "…__**IF**__ you will agree to the possibility that I could be right."_

'_I knew it,' Riley and Mary thought._

_Abigail scoffed at the compromise. "Sure," she said sarcastically, "If I was a complete dunce, I would agree to that."_

"_Yeah right," Ben muttered, giving the doctor a sharp look. "You would consider it if you weren't so stubborn!"_

"_That's __**rich**__ coming from a man who has hunted a treasure his entire life-"_

"_That's a different matter-"_

"_HEY! I think that both of you have made your point, and what do people do when they have made their point? They shut up!"_

_Ben and Abigail stopped arguing, and looked at the shouter in surprise. Mary, who was quite out of it from some pain killers that Riley had given her for her eye, gave them both a look that could kill. Plus, the eye patch made her look more sinister. Riley, on the other hand, pretended to focus on driving, and not become a victim of The Glare._

End of really short flashback:

Riley looked at the cause of his amusement in the passenger's seat. Riley snorted when he saw Mary asleep…again. If there was one thing- besides food and history- that Mary Gates adored, the abundance of sleep would definitely be it.

_Maybe I should have only given her one pill…_

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Riley stopped the van by the curb in front of Patrick Gates' home. His eyes shifted around the lawn. No cops or anyone that could legally shoot him could be seen. "Looks okay," he told Ben, who leaned between the two front seats to get a better look at the houses surroundings.

Ben nodded, but still looked nervous, which in turn, made Riley nervous. _He needs more confidence for my sake._ "Park a couple of blocks away."

Mary looked out the window, and at the house before her. _I haven't been here in quite a while…_Since her medication wore off, Mary was back to her normal self. The younger Gates wished that Riley would give her another pill, though; so she could get through being around her dad without going insane.

Ben saw the strained look on Mary's face, and nudged her in the shoulder. She looked up, and Ben gave her an encouraging grin. "It'll be fine." At least, Ben hoped so. Their father never supported the treasure hunt when Ben and Mary developed interest in it. He was going to try and make the family reunion as short as possible. _And, hopefully, with limited argument._

Mary sighed, but gave a grateful look to her brother, "Yeah…only that's what you said last time and Dad called us both immature, stubborn idiots who would never amount to anything."

Ben looked thoughtful, "So, that's what he said? I've been wondering since his mouth was full of mashed potatoes when he said it."

Mary laughed, and gave him a loving punch in the arm. She could always count on her brother to keep her calm at times like these. "Yeah, you know the usual Gates family pep talk."

"I'm glad I grew up in a normal household," a familiar voice interrupted Ben and Mary's family moment. Mary narrowed her eyes, and turned around to face Riley.

"And, that's why you are a boring person."

Riley scoffed and stepped out of the van. "How could I be boring if I hang out with you?" He frowned after he said that. He meant it to sound like an insult, but instead, it sounded like a compliment. Then again, he really did not mind the red hue overcoming Mary's fair skin.

Mary cleared her throat and turned away from the computer nerd that just made her blush. Ben noticed this and smirked (he had not forgotten his sister's little outburst towards him and Abigail).

"You okay, sis?" he asked cheekily. And, of course, that question earned him a couple of daggers from her eyes.

"I'm peachy," Mary stated through clenched teeth.

Meanwhile, Abigail was obviously missing some sort of inside joke, and became quite confused. And, with all of the confusion the night had brought so far, this did not help at all. Moreover, Riley had to say something completely unnecessary.

"What do we do about her?" the computer nerd asked, nodding his head towards Abigail. "I have some duct tape in the back." _No need to hear more complaining than necessary._

Mary and Ben smothered their grins with their hands, and Abigail really did not appreciate it. In fact, she was quite insulted. The look just made Mary want to let loose a big round of guffaws, and she almost did, if Ben didn't pat her on the back…hard.

"No," the older Gates said to Riley, slightly amused. "That won't be necessary. She won't be any trouble." Ben turned to the still-fuming Dr. Chase. "Promise you won't be any trouble?"

Abigail's eyes flashed, and Ben lost some of his humor. "I _promise_." _That had better be all from his mouth for now…_

"See? She's curious." Ben couldn't help himself as he continued. So far, every time Abigail looked furious with him, it just made him want to banter with her more.

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Mary saw her childhood home come closer into view with every step she took towards it. And, with every step, her heart beat faster, and her natural ability to breathe slowly left her with each passing second.

Riley, actually preferring to walk with Mary instead of Ben and Abigail, jogged lightly to catch up with the seemingly anxious woman. _Wow…she doesn't even notice my presence…_he thought, irritated at the woman's lack of presence in a place he liked to call Earth.

"Earth to Mary," Riley waved a single hand in front of the spaced-out woman. He smirked when Mary almost jumped out of her skin, but immediately frowned when she punched him hard in the arm.

"Riley!" she yelled. "Now is not the time!"

"Excuse me for bringing you back to reality," the young man snapped back, still rubbing his arm.

Mary looked like she was about to continue being angry, but she quickly take a deep breath, and closed her eyes to relax.

"Sorry for hitting you," she mumbled, looking down. Mary always did have trouble apologizing to Riley. She still could not get over the fact how it was much easier to hate the guy.

"It's okay," Riley answered. "I'm used to it." He grinned when he heard a chuckle come from the brunette.

"I suppose I'm to thank for that," Mary said, actually looking a bit apologetic. Even though she was about a block away from her childhood home, Mary found herself paying more attention to the man next to her than of her worries over seeing her father again.

"Yeah, well…I probably deserved it," Riley cleared his throat, and rubbed the back of his neck. He was starting to regret his decision to walk beside her; he kept blushing.

"You did," Mary conceded bluntly. "But, I also deserved whatever you threw back at me."

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Ben stood in front of the door with both of his hands stuffed in his pockets. He raised his hand slowly, and finally pressed his finger against the small, square doorbell. Abigail wondered why he did not get along with his father, but she guessed she was about to find out, so the woman stood in between Riley and Mary, waiting for the door to open.

Ben was so caught up with his nerves that when the door opened, Ben realized he didn't think of anything to say. So, when he saw Patrick Gates standing in the doorway, the only word that came from his mouth was, "Dad."

Abigail and Riley raised their eyebrows at Ben's loss of words. Mary, however, looked sympathetic. _At least he could actually say something._ When she felt the familiar piercing of her father's eyes, Mary turned her attention back to the doorway.

"Long time, no see," she laughed nervously. Her breath hitched in her throat when she realized her eye patch probably looked suspicious, and it was probably why her father kept looking at her.

Yes, Patrick Gates suspected something was going on; especially since both of his children stood in front of him, looking like they had just participated in the Amazing Race…and there was the fact they had not visited him for quite some time. Patrick's eyes then caught sight of the two strangers standing behind Ben.

"Where's the party?" Patrick Gates asked, not really knowing how to react his children's sudden appearance. _And, with company, no less._

Mary stayed silent, looking down, making her father even more suspicious. Ben, however, took a step forward.

"Well…uh…I'm in a little trouble." _Wrong choice of words Ben_, Mary thought with a grimace.

Patrick's eyes widened after that statement, and after finally noticing Benjamin's new female companion, his mind went wild. But, luckily, he knew how to keep his cool in such situations.

"She pregnant?" he gestured towards Abigail.

Abigail dropped her mouth wide open. Mary slapped a hand to her mouth to keep her laugh in. Riley was too scared of the blonde to make any sudden moves. And, Ben…well, he enjoyed Dr. Chase's embarrassment.

"Well if she is," Ben continued, ignoring Mary's muffled snickering and Abigail's grumbling, "Are you going to leave the woman carrying your grandchild standing out in the cold?" _She is going to kill me_, he thought, smirking mentally.

_I am going to kill him_, Abigail glared daggers at the back of Ben's head, but with Patrick Gates' piercing stare, she looked unsurely at Riley. "I look pregnant?"

Riley was still too afraid of Dr. Chase to make any comical remarks, so he simply looked down and shook his head. Mary saw this, and laughed lightly. The situation turned out to be better than she thought. _No fighting, thank God._ The brunette then saw her father step aside, gesturing for everyone to come in, and she sighed in relief. Mary walked in behind her brother, but before she stepped in the house, her father, of course, had to say something to embarrass his daughter.

"You're not pregnant either, are you?"

Not expecting such a crude question, Mary tripped over the step leading into the house and fell flat on her face.

"Argh!"

A guilty frown appeared on Patrick Gates' face, and he helped his daughter off the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled. His ears then picked up muffled laughter. The elderly man turned around, and noticed both of the strangers were trying to keep a straight face. Though, the young man had more trouble than the woman. When the young man met his eyes, he quickly stopped and kept silent.

Mary caught Riley's laughter and gave the Gates' trademark glare. So, from Riley's point of view, he was getting double of the same glare; one from Mary, and the other from her dad.

Once Mary got her balance back, Patrick walked ahead of Ben and noticed how tense his son looked. Ben only got that way when he did something his father did not like, and nowadays, that something turned out to be about the Treasure. Giving a deep frown, Patrick paused and let Ben catch up to him. The father grabbed his son's sleeve and whispered warningly, "This better not be about that dumb treasure."

Ben stopped walking, and looked at his father's retreating back with a pained look on his face. Mary saw the exchange, and caught up to her brother. His expression said it all.

"We need those letters," she muttered. "You're going to have to ask him."

"I know," he laughed spitefully, "but, he isn't making it easy."

"Well, we haven't exactly been the best children, have we?" Mary asked with dark humor. She knew both of them walking out on their father did not help family relations…after all, that is what her own mother had done. That story, however, is best saved for a later time.

Ben frowned, "No…I guess we haven't." He looked into the living room, where Abigail and Riley were making themselves comfortable. Riley, more so than Abigail, for he was the only one devouring the pizza Patrick had offered to everyone.

"He has no etiquette at all," Ben heard his sister grumble as she left the hallway they stood in. He then looked over to Dr. Chase who stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable being in a stranger's house. Surprisingly, the blonde looked up at him. He looked at her confusedly, but then he got the message her intense gaze gave him.

_Stop wasting time and get to it._

The daring look Abigail gave Ben annoyed him greatly. It was if she was calling him a coward for being too nervous to talk to his dad. So, surprising both him and her, Ben walked straight up to Patrick Gates with resolve.

"Dad, I need the Silence Dogood letters," Ben stated. After seeing the look on his dad's face, he continued with, "Yeah, it's about the treasure."

Mary sighed when she saw the betrayed look on Patrick's face, but there was no other way around it. "Sorry, Dad."

Patrick waved his hand in aggravation. Just for a moment, he thought his children had actually come to visit him without any material wants or needs. He noticed the guilty looks of the two strangers, and pointed at them.

"And they dragged you two into this nonsense?" the father asked harshly.

Abigail, who was slightly on Patrick Gates' side, nodded. "Literally."

But, Riley said, "I volunteered." He said it with false politeness.

The elderly man caught the falsity, and snapped back with, "Well _unvolunteer_, before you waste your life."

Mary put her hand to her head out of embarrassment. "Dad…"

"What? Please tell me where I have spoken wrong!" Patrick Gates raised his voice. He would have said more, for he had reached the limit of his patience with the treasure, but Ben interrupted him.

"Knock it off, Dad," his son spoke softly, yet hurt could be heard in Ben's voice. But, his father was upset as well, so Patrick Gates would not knock it off.

"Of course, I know," he said ruefully. "I'm the family kook. I have a house, a job, health insurance. At least I had your mother for however brief of time. At least I had you two. What do either of you have? Him?" Patrick pointed at Riley, who had been sitting in his chair innocently, eating pizza. The computer nerd shrugged the insult off, however; he was used to older people not liking him.

Mary took offense to the comment, though. "Hey! There is no need to be insulting."

The father crossed his arms and huffed. Nobody spoke for a few moments, and Ben took the silence as the cue for walking out the door. He slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Look, if you just give us the letters…we're gone."

"You disappoint me…both of you."

Ben clenched his fists and Mary froze. The Gates siblings had never heard anything so harsh from their father before. The fact they did not get along with their father made itself apparent long ago, but those three words shocked Ben and Mary.

Ben lost his patience. "Maybe that's the real Gates family legacy," Ben snapped, unable to hold his words in any longer. "Children who disappoint their fathers!"

Patrick stepped back, not expecting his son to yell at him with such anger. It hurt him, knowing that his children hated him; or, at least, he thought they did. He wanted to apologize earlier for the way he had treated them, but knowing Ben and Mary held such detest for him, Patrick backed off emotionally. He knew it was selfish to protect his own feelings, but he had been hurt so many times, the father did not know if he could handle someone leaving again. This time, however, Patrick was determined to get the last word in. But…he could not look at Ben or Mary when he said his next statement.

"Get out," Ben and Mary's father muttered with head down and turned away. "Take your troubles with you."

Riley heard Mary's hurt gasp, and he frowned. _No wonder Ben didn't want to come._ The strangled expression on Mary's face was enough to distract him from the pizza, though. The chair screeched across the hardwood floor, and Riley simply left it out as he walked over to where Mary stood. He did not say anything, he just stood there. And, for some reason, Mary calmed down.

Abigail had watched with increased interest and sympathy as Ben fought with his father, and the blonde felt she understood Ben a little better now. _He's not the bad guy_, she thought, albeit begrudgingly. _He's a normal guy with normal problems._ Those normal problems excluded being hunted down by the FBI, though. However, knowing Ben Gates as someone normal changed Abigail's opinion.

…A little…

Ben stood tall, but could not ignore the growing pit in his stomach as his father refused to look at him. Ben, however, was a stubborn man, and as a stubborn man, he could not give up. He continued in a lower voice, "We found the Charlotte."

Patrick blinked once, and looked up with an expression Ben and Mary had never seen before. Abigail recognized it as a look of hope, and silently congratulated Ben with his small victory.

"The Charlotte?" the father stated, breathless. He began to feel an old, familiar fire rekindle in his heart. "You mean she was a ship?" Patrick remembered long ago when he formed the theory from his research. He felt his heart beat faster as his treasure-hunter self started to reappear.

Mary glanced at her father in surprise. He actually showed interest in what Ben had said. She immediately walked over to where Ben and her father were standing, nodding her head enthusiastically to confirm the older man's musings.

"A huge ship," the brunette said with a big grin, dramatically expanding her arms outward.

Ben straitened his back, and nodded his head just as enthusiastically as his sister, "Yeah, she was beautiful. It was amazing, Dad." He decided to leave out the bit where Ian tried to kill all of them, and that the ship had exploded into oblivion.

Patrick could not hold his excited curiosity back any longer. "And the treasure?" he blurted out.

Ben and Mary found the carpet very interesting after the man asked that, but the brother looked up after a few moments, and muttered out, "No, no, but we found another clue that lead us here…"

The father sighed out of exasperation, and the fire which rekindled for a brief, glorious moment died away. He looked at both of his children, seeing their distraught faces, but he could not keep his words in. "And, that will lead you to another clue. And, that's all you'll ever find is another clue. Don't you get it, Ben, Mary?"

Riley looked in disbelief as he saw the downtrodden Mary Gates. The woman clutched on to her blue dress, and her grip tightened as her father scolded her and her brother. The computer nerd had seen Mary anxious, horrified, angry, even depressed…but he had never seen her heart-broken. It was a haunting expression Riley hoped he would never see again.

"I finally figured it," Patrick continued, "The legend said the treasure was buried to keep it from the British. But what really happened was the legend was invented to keep the British occupied searching for buried treasure. The treasure is a myth." He said the last sentence with much emphasis.

An awkward silence followed as the three family members stood still. Ben and Mary heard every word their father said, but his conclusion did not feel right. Therefore, Ben shook his head in disagreement, "I refuse to believe that."

Mary looked up at her brother in admiration. He always stood for what he believed in, and would never say otherwise.

"Me too," she said strongly.

Riley grinned and mentally cheered the two siblings on. The haunting expression he had seen on Mary's face earlier had gone away, and the young man surprised himself by relaxing. When had he been tense?

Abigail thought Patrick Gates had a valid argument, and would not deny it, but she could not shake the sincere countenance which came from Ben. He truly believed in what he was looking for. _A unique characteristic._

The father shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. _I'm never going to convince them_. "Well, you can believe what you want. You're both adults, so do what you want, you two, do what you want." With that said Patrick sauntered out of the room and left his children and company to their own devices.

Once the figure of Patrick Gates disappeared, Mary sighed and turned to Riley and Abigail with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that," she said softly.

Riley shrugged and Abigail nodded. Both were unsure as to how to answer back, but Dr. Chase thought back to the father's theory from earlier. The blonde turned her eyes towards the contemplative Ben.

"He's probably right," Abigail said, crossing her arms. She felt everyone look at her unappreciatively, but she shook her head not letting the glares deter her. "You don't even know if there is another clue."

Surprisingly, Ben chuckled and looked at her mischievously. The look caught Abigail off guard, and she found herself looking away.

Ben cocked an eyebrow at the woman's reaction. Saving his thoughts on that for another time, the man continued on with a coy expression. "Well, I can think of a way that we can find out, and we can find out right now."

Mary knew where her brother was going with his suggestion. She also formed a coy smile on her features.

"I'll get the lemons," the young woman said excitedly, and dashed out of the room.

Riley simply looked after her with an amused expression. When he felt eyes on him, however, he found Ben looking towards him with a suspicious look. The young man took the amusement off of his face, and gazed innocently around the room, as if looking at all of the photographs along the walls.

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Okay, there's the thirteenth chapter! I know there was not a lot of Riley/ Mary action in this one, but I had to focus more on the family aspect of the story. Anyways, I hope I wrote it well.

If you guys don't hate me still, you are welcome to review!


	14. Discovery

Okay. Updated. Read. You know you want to.

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"Abigail, give me the Declaration," Mary stated for the third time, and for the third time, Dr. Chase hesitated to hand it over. After Mary and Ben's 'joyous' family reunion, the four turned the kitchen into a temporary lab. Not up to Abigail's standards, of course, but it was better than nothing.

The woman holding the document simply tightened her grip, like a child asked to share their favorite toy. Riley could not help but notice the similarity.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Abigail stated, feeling queasy over what they were about to do to the Declaration.

"We've done lots of things that you wouldn't consider a good idea, and yet you're still here," Ben said as he came walking into the kitchen with some q-tips and latex gloves. Dr. Chase muttered a few foreign words, and handed the document begrudgingly over to Mary.

"Much obliged, Queen of the Documents," Mary said brightly, earning grins from Riley and Ben, but a glare from the queen. The brunette frowned as she twirled the cap off of the plastic container, "I was just kidding Abigail."

"The Queen never jokes," Riley muttered sarcastically as he readied a notebook and pen.

"You know, a queen can have someone beheaded," Abigail hissed, sending daggers towards the young man, which put an end to Riley's fun. He shut his mouth and sighed. Riley wanted to just get the information from the Declaration and head out. He waited impatiently as Mary, Abigail, and Ben pulled out the document from it protective covering along with unrolling it very carefully. That was when Patrick Gates made a random appearance. Riley noticed the man looked a lot calmer than he did half an hour ago.

The father grew a look of curiosity once he saw the paper in his son's hands. "Looks like animal skin," he noted out loud, "How old is it?"

Everyone in the kitchen looked towards the curious man with a nervous expression. Mary cleared her throat awkwardly and pretended to study the Declaration along with Abigail. Riley looked down at his hoodie, and imagined there was something on it. Ben stood still and mumbled in response, "At least two-hundred years."

Patrick then noticed the fine condition of the paper, "Really? You sure?"

"Pretty darn," Ben said quickly, never meeting his father's eyes.

A snort escaped Mary's mouth. She could not help it, the circumstances made the situation humorous. Riley gave the woman an incredulous look, and she simply shrugged.

"What's so funny, Mary?" she heard her father ask out of innocent interest.

Now it was Riley's turn to snort at how the woman looked up in shock. Patrick really wanted to know for he held an expecting look on his face.

"Oh! I…um…well," a sneaky thought occurred to her during her stuttering. A cat-like smile appeared on her face as she said flippantly. "I'm sorry, it's just every time I look at Riley here, I can't help but laugh." She then raised her hand and ruffled the already messy hair of the computer nerd with an innocent smile.

Riley shrugged the hand off with a scowl, "Shouldn't you be getting back to the Black Pearl?"

Mary lost her innocent smile and did not appreciate the sounds of muffled laughter around her, "_Ha ha_…" she laughed sarcastically; though a little part of her was glad Riley felt good enough to insult her again. It brought some normality to the evening. "Thanks Riley; always good to hear your insults," Mary replied with a genuine smile, throwing the insulter off guard.

_She wasn't supposed to smile_, Riley thought feeling flustered from the expression. Unfortunately, he felt everyone's eyes on him after their small exchange, and the uncomfortable feeling set in. "_Anyways_," he quickly said to direct the conversation somewhere else, "If this thing is in invisible ink how do we look at it?"

"Throw it in the oven," Patrick said quickly. He thought he might as well be helpful, but he did not expect the sudden negativity toward his suggestion.

"NO!" They all yelled in his face, not out of anger, but fear. This baffled the man.

"Higher sulfate ink can only be brought out with heat," Patrick explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He cocked an eyebrow at his two children; with all of the studying they had done surely they knew basic chemistry.

Abigail cleared her throat and regained her composure, though her hands gripped the table. "Yes…but this-"

"It's very old," Ben interrupted, earning a glare from Dr. Chase. "It's very old. And we can't risk compromising the map."

Riley and Mary nodded enthusiastically to back up his claim. Mary really wanted to scream out "It's the Declaration of Independence; we can't throw it in the _oven_!" But, she didn't.

The father sighed and turned around while saying, "You need a reagent."

"Dad," Mary whined, "We got this." She knew she sounded immature when she said that, but the man was treating her and Ben like they were kids. Of course, by saying her previous statement immaturely…it did not help her case.

"Dad, it's really late," Ben added along with Mary's statement, "Why don't you get some rest?"

More interested in the project now, Patrick Gates shook his head standing firm in his spot by the kitchen door. "I'm fine."

Riley sighed and wondered if Ben and Mary put up with this all the time when they still lived in the family house. He clicked and re-clicked his pen. Soon the noise coming from the pen made the computer nerd relax, so he continued doing the small activity.

Mary heard the constant clicking, and looked up to see Riley looking at the floor just clicking away with his pen. Normally, anyone would be annoyed with the sound, but she found it rather endearing. _Aw, he's nervous after all._

Juggling with one of the lemons in her hand, Mary did not expect the endearing individual in question to suddenly look up. Surprised, the woman juggled the lemon too high and it fell down to land on Abigail's head.

Embarrassed and hoping Riley did not notice her looking at him; Mary proceeded to apologize to the blonde. _What's wrong with me? Stop acting weird, Mary. _She thought this seriously, for the current events would not turn out any better if she could not get her priorities straight. Therefore, Mary kept her eyes glued to the document Ben and Abigail were handling, and put an emotionless mask on.

"Hand me a lemon, Mary," Ben stated, hands shaking from what he was about to do. All eyes were on him while he took the halved lemon from his sister's equally trembling hand. When he raised the fruit above the Declaration of Independence, Ben breathed out sharply as a hand wrapped around his wrist out of nowhere. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see a disturbed Abigail Chase whose fair skin had taken on a paler color.

"You can't do that," the woman ordered with her fingers tightening around Ben's wrist.

Ben of all people knew how nerve-wracking their current experiment was, but he could not falter; not when everyone had sacrificed so much to help him. Nevertheless, he lowered his hand and looked at Dr. Chase. "It has to be done."

The woman still would not let go of his wrist, and her eyes gave him a piercing look. "Then someone who is trained to handle antique documents is going to do it." She pushed Ben aside and held out her gloved hand, asking for the lemon. Ben complied, surprised at the scholar's sudden willingness and determination. He backed with his hands raised in defeat. "Okay."

Mary kept her eyes glued to the document, letting everything else fade away. As the q-tip gently glided across the upper right-hand corner of the Declaration of Independence, her heart literally jumped. _Please, let there be a symbol. Please, _she pleaded to herself. Mary had put her all into finding the map, and now she and Ben were at the climax of their goal. If the symbol did not appear…she had absolutely no idea what she would do, or how she would face her dad.

The four individuals huddled around the table, waiting for the effect of the lemon to take place. A second passed, and then another.

Nothing appeared in the right-hand corner.

_No_…Ben and Mary thought with horrified expressions. Mary straightened up, and backed away from the table only to have Riley pull her back. "Wait," he ordered, keeping his eyes focused on the Declaration. _There is no way nothing is there. We've all put our lives on the line for this._ Though, he was starting to a feel nervous at the thought of failure.

Abigail threw the q-tip to the side with a disappointed look directed at Ben. For a moment, she actually did believe him. This made her feel foolish, putting a small amount of trust in the man's theory only to be proven wrong. Abigail would have told Ben the usual "I told you so," but the heart-broken look on the his face silenced her from doing so. _He really did believe it was there._

No one said anything for a few excruciatingly long seconds.

"I told you," Patrick Gates interrupted the silence with a knowing look, "You need heat."

Abigail looked up in surprise at the elderly man. She wondered why he was so willing to help when he berated them only a few minutes ago.

Ben felt another dash of hope, and he glanced at Dr. Chase who held a conflicted expression on her features. She looked back, and he realized that the blonde wanted the map to be there, as well. So, without saying anything to each other, they both bent towards the Declaration. They looked at each other once more out of apprehension, their faces almost touching, and turned back towards the document. They slowly breathed out, letting their breath heat up the corner of the document.

And like magic, a faint outline of black ink appeared on the parchment.

Mary couldn't keep it in. She squealed out of delight, and actually hugged the man next to her…who happened to be Riley.

"Mary!" he gasped with a streak of red on his face, "I can't breathe!"

Not thinking anything of it, she still laughed. "Sorry," the woman apologized and let go of the flustered individual. Mary turned around back towards the Declaration of Independence wanting to give the document a huge hug as well, but she knew Abigail would have her head if she tried such a thing. When she turned, however, a strange sight met her eyes.

Abigail was giving Ben a genuine smile, and he returned it whole-heartedly.

"We need more juice," Ben said with excitement, oblivious to the outrageous stares his sister gave him.

Abigail nodded enthusiastically, "We need more heat!" Not bothering to think about the double entendre of her previous words, the woman freely zipped out of the room to find a hair dryer. The words, however, did not slip so obliviously past the people she left behind in the room. In fact, Ben found himself unable to keep his skin from turning into the color of a ripe strawberry, while Riley and Mary found themselves unable to keep a straight face. Patrick simply didn't get the innuendo.

"You okay Ben?" Mary asked innocently, enjoying her acts of sisterly love. "You look a little- oh, what's the word I'm looking for- _flustered_ at Dr. Chase's statement."

The brother quickly turned away from his sister and friend wanting to hide his embarrassment. Ben never did well with embarrassment…especially when it involved members of the opposite sex.

And, of course, Riley had to put his own two cents in. "You know, it's rude to turn away from people while they're speaking," he spoke with a sly grin.

"What are you all talking about?" Patrick asked with his brow furrowed.

Ben chose to turn back to the audience after that question. He shook his head fervently, "Nothing, Dad. They're just being…themselves."

Mary frowned, but laughed lightly afterwards, "He's right, Dad. We're just giving him a hard time. I am his sister after all."

"And I'm the annoying best friend," Riley concurred. He frowned a second later. _Great, not only does Mary insult me, but I insult myself now. _The young man noticed the curious looks he was receiving, so he simply shook his head implying he did not want to say anything else.

_Tonight's messing with all of our heads_, Mary thought with a sigh, but there was no way she found herself depressed at that moment. Everyone had just discovered one of the most important finds of American history. The woman grinned at the thought of revealing the whole map on the back of the Declaration. Her grin faltered a little when she felt someone's eyes upon her. Mary brought her head up to see her father looking at her with a curious expression.

"Mary," Patrick began, sounding like a concerned father, "What happened to your eye-"

"I'm back!" Abigail rushed back into the kitchen, glowing with excitement. The change from the cold professional to the bright blond standing before Ben surprised him. He wondered if Abigail's true personality was actually that of the individual looking so alive.

Dr. Chase's hand grasped an old hair dryer, and she sent Patrick Gates an apologetic look, "Sorry, I borrowed this without asking."

Forgetting about his previous inquiry, the elderly man nodded and waved his hand. "It's fine." Though, the question of how much of his personal belongings did the woman go through before she found the hair dryer passed through Patrick's mind.

"Right," Mary nodded, breathing again. She mentally screamed her thanks to Dr. Chase repeatedly. "Let's get cracking."

It took some time to carefully dampen the Declaration with lemon juice. Abigail ended up scolding Ben a few times, and he provided his own, witty comebacks. Mary held down the top edges of the document while the blonde held the bottom edges so Ben would not wrinkle the parchment. Riley sat back on a bar stool with his pen and notepad like always. Occasionally, he offered words of moral support.

"Don't bend it," Riley said, clicking his tongue. "Remember there's only one in the entire world…" the sentence died off when he received a multitude of glares.

"Just trying to lighten the mood," he muttered, looking down-trodden.

"Please go back to clicking your pen," Mary said, annoyed. She already felt nervous about handling a document of such importance to her nation, and Riley did not need to keep reminding her.

Riley raised his hand in mock defeat and rolled his eyes, "Of course, because I'm the only one in here who doesn't know how to hold a piece of paper down."

The brunette's eyes flashed, "You're the one who said it, who am I to disagree?"

Ben and Abigail gave inquisitive glances to the fuming pair. The blonde arched an eyebrow as she saw the flushed features of the woman across from her. Her curious eyes then met Ben's and she nodded her head slightly towards Mary and Riley.

"Nothing to worry about," Ben said under his breath, "It always happens."

Abigail wasn't so sure. In fact, from the way Riley kept glancing at the brunette and the way Mary looked so flustered, she figured there was an underlying factor causing the bickering. But, it was none of her business, so Abigail decided to just play aloof.

"Okay," Ben said with finality. "That's it." The entire backside of the Declaration of Independence was covered in lemon juice. Mary and Abigail let go of the edges, and the latter retrieved the plugged-in hair dryer. Mary backed up, but did not bother to go anywhere near Riley. His little comment still ticked her off. Riley didn't look so happy either. He now spent his time tapping his pen violently against his notepad, making sure a certain individual would hear it.

Abigail dried the parchment carefully, and Ben noticed a few droplets of sweat forming on her brow. _She is so nervous…yet she keeps it all inside. _He hated to say, but he admired the woman for keeping up such a strong face. However, a change on the Declaration distracted Ben from his secret observation. Abigail and Mary gasped right when their eyes met the aged paper. A two columned list of numbers appeared clear as day.

A loud screeching distracted Mary and she saw Riley had scooted his stool closer to the table with a look of a curious child. She also noticed that his pad remained blank. Her arm nudged him in the side. With a sharp look, the computer nerd begrudgingly jotted the numbers down.

The numbers began to fade away when Abigail shut the hair dryer off, and Riley finished copying the numbers.

"…It's not a map…is it?" Riley asked, looking at the fading ink with a furrowed brow. Patrick came from the doorway and looked over Riley's shoulder. He had almost gone to bed, but whether he liked it or not, his kids' project intrigued him. With a glance at the numbers, the elderly man heaved a knowing sigh.

"More clues," he muttered. "What a surprise." Though, the man did recognize a surge of hope within him. During his years as a treasure hunter, Patrick Gates actually did not find many clues pertaining to the Templar Treasure. Seeing as his offspring have found many clues, the old feeling of exhilaration weaved its way slowly back into his heart.

Riley decided to ignore Patrick's sarcastic statement, "Are those latitudes and longitudes?" _If so…there are a lot of them…_

Mary shrugged, still watching the last of the numbers fade away. The magnificence of the find still captivated her. "Sort of," she answered Riley. Mary knew exactly what it was, and she was about to tell the wondering Riley, but Ben and Abigail started talking.

"That's why we need the Silence Dogood letters," he stated, referring to the information.

Abigail started to understand the riddle which she had only heard bits and pieces of. She pointed to Riley's notepad, "That's the key?"

Ben gave the blonde an appraising look. _She may be stubborn, but I have to give her credit for intellect._ He nodded, "The key in Silence undetected."

"Right," Mary said with finality, "So can we have the letters, Dad?"

The woman definitely did not expect her father to look away guiltily when she asked. _I thought Ben and I were the only ones who had a reason to do that…_The movement made an uncomfortable feeling start to form in her stomach.

Meanwhile, Riley still had no idea what the numbers meant, and the fact no one had even answered him yet got on his nerves.

"Would _someone _please tell me what these magic numbers are?"

"It's an Ottendorf Cipher," Abigail and Mary answered at the exact same time. They looked at each in surprise, and then snorted.

"Great minds think alike," Abigail stated with a grin.

Mary nodded with the same expression, "Indeed they do."

The women's small moment of triumph was interrupted by an impatient sigh from Riley who still looked as confused as ever.

"Okay. Yes. You're both super super smart. What's an Ottendorf Cipher?" He disregarded the sharp looks he received from both women, but Riley Poole grew tired from being left in the dark.

"Somebody needs a nap," Mary said under her breath.

"We _all _need a nap," Ben snapped quickly, giving warning looks to both his sister and friend.

Patrick decided to speak up, as well. He had no idea where the tense atmosphere came from (or why Mary and Riley seem to get along one minute and then hate each other the next).

"You're both right; it's an Ottendorf Cipher," Patrick said in a calming manner, and then turned towards Riley, gesturing towards his notepad, "Just codes."

"Book codes, to be more precise," Mary added, still a little on edge.

Ben borrowed the notepad, "Each of these numbers corresponds to a word in the key."

"Usually a random book or newspaper article," Abigail continued. _I thought I was the only one who read about Ottendorf ciphers_, Dr. Chase thought with a ghost of a smile. She kept finding herself surprised by Ben's words and actions.

"In this case, the Silence Dogood letters," Ben went on without hesitation, and held up the numbers so everyone could see to demonstrate, "So it's like the page number of that key text, the line on that page, and the letter in that line." Once his lesson concluded, Ben found himself exhilarated again. _One step closer. _He turned towards his father, who –for some reason- made his way to exit the kitchen without telling anyone.

"Dad," Ben called out, a little disturbed by his father's actions. "Where are the letters?"

Patrick looked startled at the question, and he turned around. "You know," he began nervously, "It's just by sheer happenstance that their grandfather…"

_He's avoiding the question_, the four individuals thought at the same time.

"Dad," his son started, becoming anxious. The last time Mary called their father, the man mentioned having the letters in his possession. _Please tell me he still has them._

"…even found those," Patrick Gates continued, like nothing was wrong, "They were in an antique desk from the press room…"

"Dad." Even Mary tried to get him to answer them. Everyone's once excited faces slowly melted into ones of fatigue.

"…from the New England Current," the elderly man happily chattered on. "That's a newspaper."

Ben and Mary walked up to either side of their father and cornered him.

"Dad," Ben quietly said with a hidden edge, "Where are the letters?"

Patrick Gates paused, and then let out a defeated sigh. "I don't have them, son."

Mary widened her eyes out of shock while Ben just stared dead-on at their father.

"What?"

"I _don't_ have them."

Riley and Abigail heard the whole thing. Abigail went brain-dead and Riley put his head in his hands to hide his frustration. _Great, now what?_ He thought; ready to get out of the Gate's family house.

After a short moment of silence Ben stiffly walked out of the kitchen with everyone else following. He dropped into a chair near the door, and yanked his gloves off.

"Where are they?" the man asked with eerie patience. Mary knew the tone quite well.

Patrick Gates was not going to be intimidated by his own children, so he stood tall as the head of the family he should be. "I donated them to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia." The letters were a nice artifact to have, but he felt everyone else in America had the right to see them publicly, as well. Plus, he had no idea the Silence Dogood letters held one of the clues.

Ben simply nodded and rose up from the chair, "Time to go." _I need to get out of here before I explode. _He wasn't angry per se, but very _very _frustrated.

Mary sighed and waved her hand, "Nice seeing you, Dad." She missed her father's stunned look and walked back into the kitchen to collect her things.

Riley walked in right after her. "No rest for the weary," he mumbled. Mary nodded with an uncharismatic snort, and the head motion made something catch the man's eye. Her eye bandage had loosened considerably, and looked like it would fall apart any second. Mary noticed it as well, and reached up to reapply the bandage tape. A hand stopped hers, however.

"Don't," she heard Riley order sternly, "Your hands are covered with lemon juice so don't bring your hands close to your face." Riley Poole may have a pessimistic air about him, but when it came to health issues he was _always_ serious. "…Unless you want to experience something more painful than your punches."

"They don't hurt that bad," Mary replied defensively (_you're just a wimp_), but she did drop her hands. After she did, Riley surprised her again by leaning in to inspect the bandage. By instinct, Mary leaned back.

Riley sighed, irritated with the action. "You're not making this easier. Come back to Riley," he said like he would to a dog and reached out, pulling her back by the arm.

If there was ever a time Mary wanted to slap some sense into herself, the current moment topped the charts. The rising temperature in her body, the jolt of emotion she felt when Riley's fingertips touched her bare skin…all of it…it made her feel so…

Well, what did she feel? Yeah, attraction could be the answer for everything, but the word still did not seem like an acceptable answer. So far, Mary only knew that this feeling was unlike any she had felt before, and knowing this only confused her more.

Before Riley focused all of his attention on the eye patch, he noticed a very concentrated expression on Mary's face; like she had just read a passage in a book that confused her and nothing could bring her out of her contemplating trance. _Now that's a rare look_, the man thought amused.

After he inspected the bandage, Riley felt relieved when it was just the tape that needed replaced. He leaned back and rummaged through his backpack at his feet. While he got the adhesive ready, he glanced towards the brunette sitting in front of him. _Yup, still confused_, the man thought as the same expression still remained on Mary's features. He leaned in again to replace the tape with a grin.

"Wow, the great-minded Mary Gates looks confused," Riley chuckled when the woman comically snapped out of her stupor. "Why don't you ask the parrot on your shoulder?"

"If pirate jokes are the only comedy you can provide, I would suggest you keep them all to yourself," Mary snapped. Her outburst of anger brought a silence over the pair as Riley finished fixing the eye patch.

Riley leaned back and put the tape back in his bag without a word, but he still wanted to know what Mary looked confused about. In fact, her expression from before had returned, taking the woman's mind somewhere else again.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked, rubbing his hand on his neck awkwardly. He usually did not ask the woman questions like the one he just asked, but Riley knew that freezing on the spot and looking away was not a typical Mary reaction.

_Gosh, one of the few times he cares about my well-being and he had to ask now. _

"You know," Riley said with a curious expression, "if you act like that, I'm only going to want to know more." After he said that, Mary looked up and surprised the man by having a completely flushed face.

"Look," she said calmly, though her physical features completely gave her away, "I appreciate the concern, but now is definitely not the time or the place I would want to discuss this, and- _CRAP!!_"

Riley almost slid out of his chair and had to restart his heart after such a shocking response. He looked at the woman with an incredulous look, hoping to get an answer as to why she almost made him go into cardiac arrest. Instead, Mary jumped up from her seat with a panicked expression and sprinted in the opposite direction. Riley whipped his head around to see where Mary sprinted to, and then he saw why…

Patrick Gates had made his way towards the Declaration of Independence with quite the look of curiosity on his face.

"_Crap_," Riley hissed, and hoped Mary could stop her father from discovering they had stolen the Declaration of Independence.

But it was too late.

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Abigail had been unaware of the developing situations. Her eyes had continued to gaze at the back of the Declaration. _Ben was right._ The simple truth still made her intelligent mind race around, trying to create a solution to the hidden map on one of the most important documents of history that no American historian knew about. The truth, however, stared back at her in front of her eyes just a few moments ago. Now, the only question remaining in Abigail's mind was her next course of action. _Do I stay with Ben and the others, or do I leave everything here? _She couldn't leave without the Declaration, of course, so if Abigail decided to leave, she would somehow get the document back and return it to the National Archives…The professional Dr. Abigail Chase would do that immediately. If only Abigail felt like her professional self at the time, but she did not. Instead, the woman felt compelled to see the journey through to the end with Ben, Riley, and Mary. Exhilaration coursed through her veins, and Abigail knew what to do.

_I am going to find this treasure; this __**national treasure**_.

The blond smoothed the parchment beneath her fingertips with an awed expression. "I still can't believe it," Abigail whispered, catching the attention of Ben, "All this time; no one knew what was on the back-"

"The back of what?" An unexpected voice interrupted the moment, and out of nowhere, the parchment disappeared from her grasp, appearing in the hands of Patrick Gates.

"_NO!!_" Everyone yelled, except for Riley, who could only shout some nonsense out. _I need to learn how to speak properly in dire situations._

The elderly man paid no heed to the loud warning because his eyes had already caught the all too familiar script heading on the top of the parchment. His face turned ashen and his hands shook, not believing what they held.

"_Oh my God…_" Patrick breathed out, unable to look away from the document. "_OH MY GOD!_"

"Dad," Mary squeaked, inching closer to the almost-convulsing man.

"I know," Ben answered his father, putting a hand to his face to hide his horrified look. The rest let their agape mouths show freely.

Patrick Gates felt his eyes start to water from utter shock, and he continued speaking frantically, "Oh my God, what have you done? This is- this is-" Even he couldn't say the name of what lay in his shaking hands.

"The Declaration of Independence," Mary whispered, hoping her answer would save time. It didn't because her father tuned her out.

"I _know_!" Ben stated louder, taking his hand away from his face. He actually looked irritated, but only because he knew that he and his friends definitely had to leave at that moment. _Secret's out, got to go._

"…The _Declaration of Independence_," Patrick finally got out, close to tears. His hands gripped on tighter to the document, making Abigail's eyes bug out. Her hand shot out to gently take the Declaration from the man's grasp.

"Yes," she responded softly as Patrick slowly let go of the priceless paper, "and it's _very_ delicate." Dr. Chase breathed a sigh of relief when he let go.

Turning around to face his children, the panicking man asked with high-pitched disbelief, "You _stole _it?!" Sure, during Mary and Ben's teenage years they went through the rebellious faze, but _never _did Patrick Gate's children _ever_ steal anything. Now the first time they did, they decided to steal the Declaration of Independence. It made no sense!

Mary flinched at the accusation, and found a spot on the carpet very interesting. She noticed Riley point with both of his hands at Mary and Ben. The woman scowled and hit the man hard in the arm. Hearing the grunt of pain brought a sense of relief to the woman, but she still looked towards her brother with a pleading look that told Ben, "Can we _please _go now?"

Ben had no problem adhering to the non-verbal request and gathered his things while quickly answering his father. "Dad, I can explain, but I don't have time. It was necessary, and you saw the cipher-"

"And that will lead to another clue, and that will lead to another clue, and that is all you will ever find!" Patrick roared, angry beyond belief. He walked briskly to where his children stood. "There _is _no treasure. I wasted twenty years of my life, and now both of you have destroyed yours, and you've pulled _me_ into all of this." He saw the guilty looks on Ben and Mary's faces. Patrick would not back down, however. He never thought his own children would bring him into this illegal mess. No way. If the police came, Patrick would do the honest thing.

Mary sat there under the penetrable gaze of her father. She knew how much trouble she was in, and how much her father could get in if the police came to his house. They were fugitives after all. _How do we make him look innocent_? The woman racked her brain for a few seconds. At the end of her seemingly endless thinking, Mary suddenly snapped her fingers, perking up…and the exact same time Ben did the exact same thing.

Mary grinned, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ben nodded with a knowing smile, "Definitely."

Patrick frowned at his children's sudden brightness during a serious situation, and he also recognized when those two had something up their sleeves. The mischievous looks he was getting did not ease his suspicions either.

"What?"

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A few hectic minutes later…

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"Hey Dad? Do you like this lamp?" Mary asked, lifting the object up off of a small table.

Ben finished the last of the rope that bound the still-confused Patrick Gates to a chair. The other three busied themselves with making a mess of the living room because all of it coincided with Ben and Mary's plan.

Patrick eyed the lamp warily, "Not really." And, with a simple nod, Mary dropped the lamp and a crash resounded throughout the house. "You're not going to destroy my entire house are you?!"

"No, we're just making it look like we snapped and robbed you," Ben said, standing from his kneeling position. "By the way, we're taking your car…and some money."

"There's no need," Patrick muttered as everyone else finished their duties. "All of you have already snapped and you are now taking my car and money; robbery."

Mary filled a Styrofoam cup with water and placed it in her father's bound hand…like any loving daughter would. "Come on, we'll bring the car back…don't know about the cash."

"What if Ian blows up the car like he did the Charlotte?" Riley asked randomly as Ben started pushing everyone out the door towards the garage. Abigail's eyes bugged out.

"He what?!" She hadn't heart that part of the story yet.

Ben took a deep breath to control his impatience. "I'll explain everything later."

Patrick didn't fare well either with the new bit of information. "Who in world is Ian?! He blew up the Charlotte?!" Now he knew Ben and Mary did not tell him everything. _Ian won't blow up my car too, will he? _

An awkward pause followed Riley's slip up. Ben finally broke it with a loud sigh, and walked into the garage quickly saying, "Mary and I will tell you all about it later. See you, got to go, bye." He quickly shut the door, leaving a shocked Patrick Gates.

The bound man looked around his house, mourning the mess which used to be his living room. He sighed and took a sip out of his cup of water.

"If my car blows up, those two are grounded."

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Well, I finally finished this chapter! Yay! I had so much trouble with this chapter, trying to decide what to change and what to keep the same from the movie. Not to mention I suck at writing romance. I am trying though! I appreciate all of the reviews, I swear this is my favorite story I am currently writing because all of you guys are so good to me…*sniff* Anyways…enough of my stupid emotions. I wrote one of the chapters ahead, unfortunately it isn't the next one, but since we're getting to the meat of the story, the updates should come quicker.

Hope all of you enjoyed reading it! Please Read and Review.

P.S.: More Riley and Mary action coming up. ;)


	15. Philadelphia, pt 1

Okay, so it has probably been more than a year since I last updated, and that probably earns me a few vicious insults and glares. To be honest, I just haven't felt like a writer for a while, but I was sitting down, taking to some friends a few weeks ago and they made me realize that writing is what I really enjoy doing. So, I set up my old writing desk (which is really just a collapsible table that is older than I am), and I started typing away. I'm still a little rusty, but I'm geeting my groove back. I have so many stories that I have yet to finish, and I came to this one. I have to say, this fiction is probably my favorite out of the others I have written. And, I hope you guys still enjoy it.

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"Are you sure I don't turn off at any of these exits?" Ben asked as he tried to bear with the terrible traffic keeping his speed down to twenty miles per hour.

"Yes," Abigail said with a yawn, "Just keep going straight until you veer left-"

"No," Mary said from the back seat of the Cadillac moving slowly along the busy interstate, "We want to get off on Exit 31C so we can avoid the toll booths."

"Sounds good to me," Ben muttered, having no patience with the heavy traffic, "Gosh, it is _two _in the morning! Why are people still driving?"

"Maybe they're on the run from the F.B.I., too," Riley drawled from the back seat, as well. Mary cleared her throat and once she got Riley's attention she shook her head, shutting him up. Ben plus bad traffic equaled Hades. Silence resumed in the vehicle, but no one minded. It was a comfortable, peaceful silence that the four had yet to experience.

The slow, steady movement of the car and the lack of light drew Mary into a dazed state. She had no care in the world as her eyes slowly fluttered shut, and from there, the tired woman easily fell asleep.

Ben, who had finally gotten his impatience under control, looked in his rear view mirror and chuckled at the sight his sister brought. The sound caught Abigail's attention and looked at the driver questioningly. She saw his eyes flicker back to the rear view mirror repeatedly, so she turned around in her seat to see Mary Gates sprawled all over the backseat (despite in a dress) with her mouth unceremoniously hanging open. The woman was knocked out. And Riley, poor Riley, was scrunched up against the window because of all the space Mary had taken up.

Abigail covered her mouth to keep her guffaws from exploding.

Ben saw the violently quivering shoulders of Dr. Chase and grinned. "Yup, that's my sister. How are you holding up Riley? Got enough room?"

Said person laughed sarcastically, and continued to stare out the window while fidgeting to keep his whole body from going numb. Abigail noticed, however, that the man could sit a little more comfortably if he scooted closer to the sleeping brunette, but he kept his distance. Ben noticed it as well, but he continued to keep his thoughts and assumptions to himself (when it involved Riley and Mary at least). _They will eventually figure it out on their own. _

Both front seat occupants were so distracted by the scene behind them, Exit 31C almost slipped past their eyes. Luckily, Riley noticed it…right at the last minute.

"Turn!" he suddenly shouted, catching the attention of Abigail and Ben. The driver automatically turned the wheel sharply to right throwing everyone sharply to the left. Abigail would have fallen out of her seat if she hadn't buckled her seatbelt. Ben was strapped in securely as well, but he still slammed into the door next to him. Luckily he pulled his head back before it hit the window. The backseat passengers, however, did not have the same luck as those in the front seat. Riley, who had tried so hard to keep his distance from the snoozing brunette, found his body forcibly pushed against her, and the upper half of Mary's body now lay comfortably on the man's lap. Mary, known to sleep through anything, still slept soundly, unperturbed by her current location.

Ben straightened the wheel and finally calmed down his panicked breathing. "Is everyone okay?" he called out in a cracked voice, not even daring to take his eyes off of the road. The constant German obscenities coming from Dr. Chase told the driver she was alright. The snoring coming from the seemingly comatose Mary told him that she was alright as well. But, for some reason, Riley did not answer Ben's question, making him take a glance in the rear view mirror just to make sure.

And then there came the dramatic widening of his eyes.

"Riley, why is your face so _red_?" Ben asked in complete surprise over what he saw.

Abigail turned around to check out the scene behind her that made Ben have an outburst. When she saw Mary sleeping soundly in Riley's lap, Abigail almost laughed because the young woman resembled a little girl with the serene expression on her face as she breathed evenly. Dr. Chase grinned and looked up to see how Riley fared.

The subject knew all eyes were on him even if he had to cover his face with one of his hands to hide the new crimson color of his skin. He knew his heart beat so hard, his ribcage could break any second from the constant pounding force. And, Riley knew if he didn't keep his other hand away from Mary's long hair, he would end up running his fingers through the chocolate-colored strands. _Get yourself under control, Riley, _the man told himself. He heard Ben's question, but he had no voice to answer back, so he simply shook his head like he always did when he was left speechless.

The worst part happened when the young man saw the serene look on her face. Even if he looked away, Riley would still remember the image…and then think about it on and off again for a very long time.

So, what does Riley do in a situation like this?

He changes the subject.

"Your dad's got a sweet ride," he spoke up towards the passengers in the front. Unfortunately, Ben and Abigail were too absorbed in their own conversation to hear the man in the back seat try and forget about the woman lying in his lap.

"I think we should change clothes," Riley heard Ben utter to Abigail. He knit his eyebrows together. _What exactly are they talking about…?_

"We look kind of inconspicuous, don't you think?" Ben continued. Realization dawned on Riley and he gave a sigh of relief. The situation he was already in made him feel awkward. But, the man did have a point. Besides him, everyone else had the appearance of people that partied too hard.

However…

"I would love to go shopping too, but we have no money," the man pointed out. Or, at least, he didn't. Having the occupation of co-treasure hunter tended not to pay much.

Abigail heard the observation and frowned. No way did she want to stay in her current outfit, but if they had no money…

The scholar blinked her eyes back to the present when a small book appeared in her lap. She stared at the book in confusion until she recognized the italic script of the title.

"Here, I took this from his house," Ben said, taking delight in how Abigail gazed appreciatively at the small book. "He usually tucks a few hundred dollars somewhere between those pages." A little detail he forgot to mention to his dad. _A little revenge for the Silence Dogood letters._

"_Common Sense_," Dr. Chase smirked. "How appropriate."

Riley rolled his eyes at the two exchanging secretive glances and grins. _How adorable…_

Unfortunately, his bespectacled eyes drifted downwards towards the sleeping brunette. The urge to run his fingers through her hair returned tenfold, so Riley ended up biting his lip to remain still.

"When are we going to get there?" he asked, clearing his throat. Alas, Ben and Abigail were too busy giving each other flirtatious glances to answer him.

Riley narrowed his eyes and decided to continue saying random statements until someone would answer him.

"I'm hungry."

"This car smells funny."

"My legs are cramping up."

"It's cold in here."

"Are we there yet?"

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Mary slowly became aware of her surroundings as her eyes fluttered open. _How long have I been asleep?_ She really did not mean to doze off (especially since she has a reputation as a loud snorer), but the equation including stress, physical activity, lack of food, and drugs added up to a well-deserved nap.

The brunette stretched her arms out and yawned in content…only to freeze her actions when she felt what she thought was a very comfortable pillow shift around. Mary snapped her head up and bit back a shriek when a familiar face looked back at her.

"Morning," Riley cocked his head to the side with a smirk.

Mary shot her body up, flustered. "You could have woken me up if I was laying all over you!"

An uncharismatic snort escaped from Riley, which caused Mary's eyes to naturally flash dangerously.

"What's so _funny_," she asked with a tight smile, which for all purposes was meant to appear fake.

The mysteriously amused man ignored the non-verbal warnings he had received, and instead gave Mary the most skeptical expression in the world.

"Me? Wake _you_ up? Not while I still value my life," Riley stated obviously.

"What are you talking about?" the brunette questioned slowly, confused by the turn of the conversation.

"Do you not remember the last time I woke you up?" he asked with a pointed look.

Riley and Mary's Simultaneous Flashback:

"_Ben!"_

_Said individual recognized that tone from Riley, and felt his shoulders already sag from the sigh he automatically emitted. Ben had been in the process of making coffee for the all-nighter in progress. The three roommates had been pouring over countless sources, secondary and primary, since five in the afternoon…and now it was a quarter past three in the morning._

"_What is it, Riley?" the wearied man asked, already guessing the topic of the future complaint._

"_She's in my spot," Riley huffed and gestured towards the occupied end of the couch where he usually sat, but instead a snoozing Mary Gates was curled up with her head resting on the arm rest. A book lay open in the cushion next to her, indicating to Ben she had tried to survive through the all-nighter, but failed miserably._

_Such an endearing image…at least to the woman's older brother. Riley, however, had different thoughts._

_Ben sighed again, and brought the steaming mug of caffeine to his lips. "Yes, Mary is in your spot. Care to elaborate?"_

_The young man gave a noise of frustration. "She knows that's my spot. I left it for one second, and then I come back to see she stole it!"_

_Ben nodded in understanding, blowing the steam away from his mug. "I see…would you like me to have her skip recess like the rest of the bad children?"_

_Riley did not appreciate his friend's sarcasm. "Seriously Ben. That woman deliberately took my spot-"_

"_I get it, Riley," Ben cut in with an annoyed expression. This wasn't the first occurrence of Mary-the-spot-stealing-thief, nor Riley's outspoken complaints on the subject. "You know the solution right?"_

"_Kick her out of the apartment?"_

_Ben ignored the snide comment and continued. "Ask her to move to another spot."_

_Riley moved his gaze down to the floor and muttered a few comments not meant for innocent ears. He had hoped Ben would just ask Mary to move instead of him, but seeing as his friend silently slipped out of the living room, he would have to do it himself._

_Little did he know that Ben had evacuated the premises for a reason..._

_Riley slowly approached his familiar side of the couch where an unwelcome brunette snored away. For a moment, he had a ludicrous thought over how much better Mary looked when she slept, but luckily the young man snapped himself out of such a ridiculous suggestion, and brought his frown back into place._

_Riley cleared his throat dramatically loud, and waited for the woman to stir. _

_Nothing._

"_Mary," he gritted out._

_The snoring brunette stirred for a split second, but instead of waking up entirely, she just took up the rest of the couch space._

_This did not help Riley._

_His eyes narrowed, and for a moment the young man had to remove his glasses so he could hold the bridge of his nose for calming purposes._

"_Mary!"he tried again, albeit louder this time around._

"_It's not time for school," the brunette mumbled into the cushion._

_For a split second, Riley held back an amused snort. He used to do the same thing when he was younger. Who knew him and Mary would have something so trivial in common? And yet…it gave Mr. Poole a bright idea._

"_It looks like I'll have to resort to the old-fashioned way," he sighed, and let a mischievous grin take place of his exasperation. Riley crept into the kitchen and retrieved a small, paper cup from the pantry. Whistling a happy tune, he filled the cup up to the brim with ice-cold water._

_The man retraced his steps to the couch where the spot-stealer slept soundly. Unsympathetically, Riley emptied the contents of the cup onto Mary's unsuspecting face._

_As expected, an ear-piercing shriek resounded throughout the apartment, followed by a masculine grunt of pain when the victim punched the offender in the face. _

End of Riley and Mary's Simultaneous Flashback:

"No, you deserved that one," Mary retorted unsympathetically, sitting up straight, finally overcoming her embarrassment.

Riley nodded, albeit wincing at the memory. "Granted, but you did steal my spot intentionally." This made the brunette give a begrudging nod, though she kept her eyes down. She took his spot only because she knew how ticked it would make him. Mary had a passion for riling her brother's friend up. Did then and did now.

"So, where are Ben and Abigail?" Mary asked, suddenly noticing the lack of the two other occupants of the car. "In fact, where are we?"

"They're out shopping for less inconspicuous clothes," Riley mocked Ben's voice (quite well in Mary's opinion) as he reached forward from the back seat and retrieved the keys from the ignition. "And, we're in Philadelphia."

Mary nodded, but then took a quick glance at her own outfit…it definitely did not resemble something a woman would wear every day. "Why did Ben decide to leave without me?" she asked, frowning at the statement. She figured her own brother would get her some decent clothes to wear, unless he wanted her to parade the streets in a torn dress.

Without a moment's notice a large sack was tossed in her lap, making her jump. Riley grinned in amusement as the brunette shot him a glare for throwing the bag at her.

"Don't worry," he said, gesturing at the sack. "Ben didn't forget about you. He stopped by a nearby store and bought you some clothes."

"Why didn't he just wake me up, and take me with him?" Mary asked in confusion. Considering the current circumstances, wouldn't it be better if they all just stick together?

Riley turned his head away and gave a simple shrug. "We all figured you needed the sleep." The young man might have just added the 'we' instead using the truthful 'I.' Ben did want to wake Mary up, but Riley insisted on letting her sleep…not that he was going to tell her.

The brunette laughed in disbelief. "Well, that's great and all, but we can't sit in a stolen car and wait for them to come back."

"Believe it or not, we do have something to do," Riley muttered, opening the car door. "Come on."

"Wait…what?" the young woman asked, not moving. "What are we going to do?"

Riley sighed in impatience, "You didn't think we were just going to walk around and sight see did you? We're going to solve that Ottendorf cipher while Ben and Abigail go shopping."

A rush of excitement ran through Mary. Finally, a chance to prove herself in the hunt. Ben had given her the golden opportunity to use her brain, and she definitely was not going to waste it. Without a second thought, Mary scrambled out of the car with an air of determination. Riley noticed the change, and for the first time in a long while, he gave a genuine smile.

"Come on, Indiana Jones. Let's go treasure hunting," he chuckled in amusement, all the while thinking that maybe this whole adventure wouldn't be so bad after all…as long as Mary Gates is there.

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Riley and Mary decided that walking wasn't the best option, especially after they saw their pictures on CNN through the windows of every store that had a television. Unfortunately…neither was driving around in a vehicle that the FBI probably knew by heart at that point in time.

After passing another one of these stores, Riley sighed in irritation. "Seriously, is nothing else on?" He stuffed his hands into his sweater's pockets, and lowered his eyes to the ground, feeling exposed to every person who passed by him.

The brunette walking beside him felt the same way. "Well, I guess when a national historical document disappears because of you, this kind of stuff happens."

The pair had been walking for at least an hour, weaving throughout the close knit streets of Philadelphia, all the while feeling on edge.

"I hate this," Riley finally muttered. "Once we get to the museum, how are we going to get in there without being spotted?" Not that he was trying to rain on everyone's parade, but with all of the news coverage him, Mary, Ben, and Abigail were receiving, the idea of waltzing into a nationally famous education center seemed ludicrous.

"Well, Ben and Abigail haven't been caught yet," Mary offered, trying to sound upbeat. "I'm sure once we get there, there will be something we can do." _I hope…_

The young man nodded, and actually managed a small grin. It felt nice to hear Mary say those encouraging words since she barely ever said them to him in the first place. Riley then took the time to notice how well her jeans and plain-white tee fit to her curves, and how her skin held a natural glow to it without all that make up on. Not that he didn't think she looked beautiful the other night, but he much preferred to see Mary this way.

The previously mentioned noticed that Riley stole glances her way, and couldn't prevent the heat creeping up to her neck. She kind of liked the attention; especially from him.

For the next few moments, and for the first time in a long while, the two adults enjoyed each other's company. Or, as much as they could, considering the circumstances.

They turned a corner on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and caught sight of the impressive institute, standing tall with visitors trickling in and out of the four Roman columns hanging in front of the entrance. It was a beautiful piece of architecture that enticed Mary's desire to go explore inside of the museum, but Riley halted her with a hand on her arm.

"Remember, our faces are everywhere on the news," Riley said under his breath as many pedestrians walked by them, occasionally throwing them a rude stare for blocking their way. _So much for the city named after friendship._

Mary stopped her fantasizing over the museum, and hesitantly turned away from the Franklin Institute to face her companion. He was right. Everyone in that building probably knew his and her faces by heart now.

"So what do we do?" she asked with a frown.

A blank expression formed on the young man's bespectacled face. "That's a good question." He ignored the sigh of exasperation from Mary, and just focused on his surroundings. They definitely could not enter the building without getting caught, and they definitely could not wait in their current position forever.

Riley almost gave up until someone caught his eye. A small kid, waiting outside the entrance talking to the worker at the ticket booth.

"I'm only a dollar short," the kid still dressed in his school uniform complained to the old woman behind the slab of glass.

The woman shrugged impatiently. "Fifteen dollars for children. Sorry kid. Next!"

The boy turned around in a huff, stomping away to one of the stone benches, all the while muttering a few words that someone so young should _not _even know.

_Bingo_, Riley thought. He grabbed Mary's hand without a word and made his way through the crowd towards the depressed boy on the bench, formulating what he thought was the perfect plan.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked, astounded at the determination in Riley.

"Just go along with it," he said with a trademark smirk as he approached the pint-sized individual. "Hey kid," he called out, catching the boy's attention.

"Yeah?" the boy asked warily. After all, his mother told him to watch out for strangers, and these two were no exception.

"You need a dollar?" Riley inquired, digging through his back pocket for his wallet. He retrieved the small, leather object and pulled out a crumpled up dollar bill. Mary was still confused over why Riley had dragged her over there and was now offering a little boy money.

"Y-yeah," the boy said with his eyes locked on the money. "I need to go in there and research for a project in school." He blinked a few times and then glanced at the provider with suspicion.

Realization dawned on Mary, and she had to give points to Riley for thinking this up. She stood behind him with a grin on her face as he explained a proposition to the boy.

"I just need you to solve this puzzle for me," Riley continued, pulling his notepad out and showing the cipher to the boy.

"Oh! That's an Ottendorf cipher," the kid exclaimed with excitement. Riley stared at the boy, confused and kind of jealous that an eight year old knew more about the puzzle than he did. _What exactly are kids learning in school these days? _

"Yes, it is," Riley continued, trying to sound like he knew the first moment he saw the magic numbers as well, and ignoring the small scoff from a certain woman standing behind him. "Every time you find out the letter that corresponds to the code, write it down and bring it out to me and my friend."

"Why don't you go in there yourself?" the kid asked, suddenly wary again.

"Because I don't feel like paying twenty dollars for a museum ticket," Riley smoothly added, digging through his wallet again. "And you know what? Every time you bring out new letters, I'll give you another dollar." He mentally winced at how he only spotted five ones and a quarter, but it should only take a few trips to decipher the entire code.

The boy didn't need to be told twice when it concerned an upgrade to his allowance, so he snatched the dollar bill and scampered back to the ticket booth.

Mary smiled as the kid bought the ticket, and turned to Riley with a look of admiration. "Wow," she said, sitting down on the bench. "I'm impressed, Riley."

Said person took a seat by the impressed woman, and sighed in relief. "I am so glad that worked, otherwise we would have had to go to Ben empty handed."

Mary gazed at the man in surprise. "Does Ben intimidate you?" If so, that would be completely ridiculous on Riley's part. Ben wouldn't hurt a fly, and he is quite easy to tease, or so Mary has experienced.

The exhausted man scoffed, and gave Mary a skeptical look. "Ben? No." His raised eyebrow lowered as he creased his forehead in thought. "I'd just hate to disappoint him, especially after all the hard work he has done." Though Riley had no guts to say it aloud at that moment, he meant to include Mary in that statement, too.

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Well, there you go. A decent chapter that will hopefully have another one following it soon. Anyways, for those who read this, I do appreciate you taking your time to read this story and sticking with it for this long.

Tell me what you think! If you liks it, tell me what you liked most about it, if you hated it, try to tell me where I can improve in a very polite way that doesn't involve colorful metaphors.


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